Exposed
by LNicol1990
Summary: Merlin must face the consquences of his actions, and he learns what it means to have true friends.
1. Unveiling the Secret

Disclaimer's note: I do not own Merlin, Arthur, Uther, Gaius, Morgana, Gwen, or Nimueh.

Setting: After 'Defenceless' (the prequel story to this)

* * *

Merlin leaned over the battlement's wall, taking in the sights. He did this often and usually spent more than an hour gazing out at the scenery. But for him, the scenery wasn't green, it was silver.

His confrontation with Nimueh not three weeks ago had awakened a new part within him, a magical part. And now, he saw the world through a sorcerer's eyes. The world was still full of its different colours and shades, but now, everything had extra colours. Silver, gold and red… Merlin had quickly discerned their meanings.

Silver was neutral, neither good nor bad. It was how many of his spells looked when he wasn't casting them for a particular reason. Gold was the colour of goodness. He saw it everywhere, a mother spoiling her child with a treat, a man lovingly tending to his horse. And then, there was red. Red was all the badness that existed. He knew that everyone contained some red, just like they had some gold and silver in them too.

Another thing he had learnt: magic flowed. It was a swirling mist in the air, in people, and just generally in the world. He absentmindedly wondered how Uther would respond to knowing this fact. He'd probably kill Merlin just for saying it.

He returned his attention to the countryside ahead of him, watching a very dark red light make its way towards the castle. Nimueh was less than a day away from Camelot. He silently wished the witch would turn around and go back to whatever hole that she had crawled out of.

"The view hasn't changed, you know?"

Merlin started, looking up to stare at Arthur, the king's son and his master. Confusion swirled around in Arthur.

Another useful trick that he'd learnt from this. Emotions were essential to the workings of magic, and so, in turn, emotion would affect the magic around it. So, literally, unless a person was in the right frame of mind and emotional state, they would not be able to perform magic. He had only the servants and nobility to observe, and they were proving to be quite a boring study of emotion-moved magic.

Arthur, on the other hand, was fascinating. He knew that Arthur had many faces, depending on the situation, and he would behave in several different ways throughout one morning. It was even more interesting now that he could see the differences inside Arthur.

Three weeks of watching had taught Merlin to know, within acceptable parameters, the exact emotional form of the prince, and what face he was wearing at the moment.

At that point in time, Merlin would go for confused, concerned friend.

"Does that matter?" he asked rhetorically, before returning to watch Nimueh's approach.

"Merlin," Arthur joined his side, seeing that Merlin wasn't going to stop watching an unmoving landscape. "You've stared at this part of Camelot for three weeks, now. What is fascinating about this particular side of it?"

Merlin had only told Gaius that Nimueh was coming to Camelot, and Gaius had been sceptical, saying to Merlin that it was only nerves from facing her one-to-one. And, honestly, he wasn't comfortable that the only person he could tell didn't believe him. It left him with very few options.

None of those options included telling Arthur the truth.

"Something always changes," he muttered, thinking of Nimueh.

"Not really," Arthur disagreed, noticing the dark mood of his usually mild-mannered friend and servant. "People are going about their daily lives, coming and going as they normally do."

Merlin didn't reply, but decided that examining the mortar of the battlements was more interesting than the conversation. He could feel the desire to explain everything to Arthur, but knew that one of three things would happen if he did.

One: Arthur would believe he was joking and would chastise him for poor taste. Two: Arthur would think that Merlin was mentally unstable and order Gaius to give him a full medical examination. Three: Arthur would believe him, and then have him brought before Uther. The end result would inevitably be him at the executioner's block.

None of the results sounded very appealing, and so he said nothing.

"Come on," Arthur suddenly declared, trying to be cheerful to alleviate the mood. "I've got something you and I could do."

Merlin looked at him, his eyes calculating. It was a new expression, and it made Arthur's skin crawl. It was like his servant was staring right through him and seeing something beneath all of his pretences. He had noticed this look about three weeks ago, when he had been… incapacitated, and when Merlin had fought the sorceress, Nimueh, for his soul, his being.

Merlin had changed quite a lot after that, and he wasn't the only one. It seemed like everyone was more than happy to avoid him, and no one wanted to bring up the subject of those few days. This made him feel tense, and he wanted to blow off steam.

"Duelling?" Merlin asked with a groan, remembering all the bruises he had been given from this pastime previously.

Arthur had learnt not to be surprised, but he was still unnerved by Merlin's question that was more like an objection. Duelling was exactly what he'd had in mind. Merlin had become really good at guessing Arthur's choices, almost to the point where he wasn't guessing.

"Sure, why not?" he asked jovially. "We haven't sparred for sometime, and I'm getting out of practise."

He left the wall, caught hold of Merlin's jacket and gently pulled as he walked away. He felt Merlin resist for a moment before giving in and following him to the courtyard and over to the sparing grounds.

He noticed Morgana and Gwen were watching them from beneath an awning. They had also noticed Merlin's change in demeanour, and while this merely confused Morgana, it was extremely worrying for her handmaiden. If anything, it was Merlin's behaviour that was the reason behind them talking to Arthur, and it was more than a little depressing for the prince.

"Arthur," Morgana called teasingly. "Merlin's only just returned to duties. Do you plan on giving him another week off?"

Arthur smiled at the comment. Then, he was surprised to notice that Merlin was shaking a little, a smile on his face. His surprise quickly turned to pleasure. Seeing Merlin in a good mood was something that lifted Arthur's heart slightly. It made him feel like it was more than three weeks ago, back when everything was normal and everyone was acting like they normally would.

He picked up two training staffs, since he didn't want to hurt Merlin, and handed one to his friend. Merlin was grimacing when he took the staff reluctantly from Arthur; his dislike of the pastime was obvious.

"Don't worry," Arthur smiled. "I'll go easy on you."

Merlin flashed an unhappy smile, before stepping back a yard and holding himself to a stance that he'd seen Arthur use. He watched the prince step back as well, dropping into a stance that was comfortable and easy for him to hold.

Then, they engaged in the fight. Arthur went straight for Merlin's side, which was blocked. Merlin went for Arthur's chest, and his attack was knocked to a side. They both followed the momentum and spun round, the staffs knocking together when they faced each other. Merlin skipped back two steps, correcting his grip on his staff, and waited for Arthur's next move. Arthur made for Merlin's shoulder, until his staff rebounded off his opponent's. Merlin made a down cut, to which Arthur blocked easily. Arthur slashed in front of him, causing Merlin to jump backwards, splaying his arms to avoid getting hit. The Merlin knelt and took a swipe at Arthur's legs. Arthur jumped, instinctively bringing his arms inwards, realising too late that his staff was moving at a frightening speed towards Merlin's head.

Merlin saw the staff coming his way, the light of its directed path all too clear for him. But he knew that Arthur hadn't done this on purpose, he could see the shock and fear in the other man's light.

He could feel some other part of him ordering him what to do. Listening to it, he closed his eyes and bent his head back as far as he could, leaning backward whilst he did that. He could hear someone scream, and the air whistled as the staff flew past his overly exposed neck.

The silver light of the ground was coming to him quite quickly, and the instinct, which he had just obeyed, told him to move his hands and stop his fall. But Merlin knew that that was pushing it, and so brought his head forward and waited for the thud as his back hit the ground, knocking the air out of him.

"Ooof!" he grunted, pain flaring up his back. "Argh!" he exclaimed two seconds later when Arthur landed on him, sending the prince sprawling to the ground.

Merlin heard several profanities leave Arthur's mouth. He could see that the prince felt utterly humiliated by the position he was in right now, his face half cover in grass shoots, his hair ruffled unintentionally, and the fact that his legs were tangled up in Merlin's.

"Sorry," Merlin gasped, since Arthur had landed on his stomach.

Arthur pulled himself out of the tangle, dazedly rising to his feet, before turning to Merlin. He noted to himself that Merlin hadn't moved, and worried if he had hurt his friend. But, he was glad to see that there was no large red mark on Merlin's head, face or neck. That meant that his staff had missed.

But that brought a question to mind, and he wasn't sure how to ask. He decided that he'd ask it bluntly, it would get it over with, and he'd have a straight answer.

"How did you dodge my staff?!" he could hear the awe in his voice.

And, he had to admit, even if Merlin had landed on his back, it had been a damn impressive move.

"I don't know," Merlin replied after a second, obviously trying to right the thoughts in his head. The landing had looked painful and had probably scrambled the poor boy's head for a moment. "Instinct?" Merlin offered, pitifully.

Arthur shook his head, incredulously. He was about to comment when he heard footsteps running to them. His turned his head to see Morgana and Gwen sprinting towards them, well… sprinting as much as a dress would let them. They didn't bother hiding their concern for the two boys.

"What was that?!" Morgana demanded angrily.

"Merlin thought he'd try out for acrobatics, didn't you Merlin?" Arthur joked, extending a hand to his downed friend, which Merlin took without a second thought.

"Yeah," he lied. "Looks like I need more practise though," he smiled at Arthur, who, in turn, smiled back.

"That looked painful," Gwen frowned, worry evident in her eyes.

"Yeah, it was," Merlin nodded, taking a few steps away from Arthur's immediate reach. "Arthur's heavy."

Arthur turned to glare at Merlin, but found he was glaring at his friend's radiant face, which only seemed to brighten the longer he glared. It had been a long time since Merlin had been in such high spirits, and it was almost a crime to bring him crashing down.

Beside him, Arthur could hear Morgana chortling at his expense. Of course, being a lady of court and his father's ward, Morgana was one of the few who could laugh at him and get away with it.

"Merlin, you're bleeding," Gwen suddenly stated, looking worriedly at the back of his head.

Merlin reached his hand behind his head and gently felt his scalp. He winced slightly when his fingers brushed over the cut, but he could tell that the wound was superficial. Gaius could easily clean it and send him on his way.

"It's not that serious," he shrugged.

"Well then," Arthur strode over to Merlin and hung his arm over Merlin's shoulders. "Let's get Gaius to clean it up. We'll see you two later," he called over his shoulder as he wheeled Merlin away.

When Arthur was sure that they were out of earshot from Morgana and Gwen, he lowered his arm and faced Merlin.

"You know, that was one heck of a fall," he started, and noticed Merlin tense up slightly. "I'm sure it's more serious than you said it was," he frowned as Merlin refused to look at him. "You frightened Gwen, you know?"

That was the reaction he'd been looking for, sort of. Merlin twitched his head in Arthur's direction, his lips taut. It was obvious that Merlin was about to say something, but then, he remembered who he was about to talk to and stared forward, not speaking.

Arthur had no idea what Merlin had been close to saying. Frighten her? That was the least he did to her.

He had chastised himself over it for weeks, berating his stupidity and inattentiveness. He wondered quite often how the heck he could have missed it, all the signs had been there, but he hadn't had the sense to see them.

Whenever Gwen so much as looked at him, the magic that flowed about her changed dramatically. He could only describe it as snow, golden snow that would rise into a whirlwind at the smallest breeze, dancing in the light. It was an incredible thing to behold. He wondered how he had ever missed how she felt about him, when it was so obvious in her. How he could only realise this now, now that he could see her light.

And that was another unique feature about Gwen: she was practically all gold and silver. If the magic about her was a dress, it would only have ten threads of blood red. Again, the sight of her was breathtaking.

Merlin then realised that he was walking in the courtyard that was the main entrance to the castle. He stopped and stared at the gate. He could only guess the time he had left before someone walked through it.

"What's wrong, Merlin?" Arthur frowned anxiously, looking from the gate to Merlin.

Merlin sighed wistfully. He knew that he couldn't tell Arthur the truth. But… that didn't mean that he couldn't tell half-truths.

"You didn't see her," he whispered, but he knew that Arthur had heard him.

"What happened?" Arthur asked after a short pause to let the shock leave his face. He knew that Merlin didn't like talking about his confrontation with the sorceress, Nimueh.

"She was so… furious," Merlin explained, quietly. "She was furious that I got away, more so since I left with you."

"You expect retribution?" Arthur frowned, not seeing the connection.

"She thought she was going to kill me, so she told me that she planned for Camelot to fall. She didn't expect me to… survive."

Arthur didn't respond right away, but instead followed his friend's gaze to the battlements. He suddenly felt like he understood what Merlin had been doing. Merlin had been watching for Nimueh to come.

"Every guard knows what she looks like, Merlin," he soothed. "She won't get within three miles of Camelot," he promised his anxious friend.

Merlin bit his lip, and Arthur knew that he wasn't convinced.

"Everything's going to be fine," Arthur stated confidently.

"You think I'm worried about me?" Merlin frowned, confused and disbelieving. "I'm an annoyance. There's no way she'd just come for me," Merlin sounded so sure of the fact, Arthur felt more than a little disturbed by Merlin's assertion.

They stared at each other for a time. Neither was willing to back down from their convictions, and they both knew how stubborn the other was on occasion. Thankfully, their battle was called off when someone behind them called out: it was Gwen and Morgana.

Arthur returned his gaze to Merlin for a moment, before advancing towards the girls. He let Merlin come in his own time.

Merlin made to follow, but suddenly stopped. He knew that a look of horror was on his face, and he knew that it was well placed.

The world had taken on a sickening tint of blood red. He turned to find the cause of the disturbing change, and he was not disappointed.

There she stood, Nimueh, on the castle gate entrance. She was staring right back at him. He could see the fury inside her, and the joy at being able to finally rid herself of this nuisance.

"ARTHUR!!" he yelled in terror.

Arthur spun round as if he had been struck by lightening. Unadulterated fear was in the prince's face, fear at what had caused such distress to his friend.

Then, Arthur disappeared. Gwen disappeared. Morgana disappeared. The courtyard turned and was distorted. From all this, Merlin could tell that he'd been hit by a very powerful spell.

Arthur watched in horror as Merlin was suddenly swept up and thrown across the courtyard. It was as if his friend was nothing but a child's doll, being thrown away during a tantrum. He flinched when he saw Merlin land limply, painfully. His body went ice cold when Merlin didn't move, simply laying on the cobblestones in that horrific, twisted position.

He could barely dare to, but he slowly turned his head to stare in fear and horror at the figure standing by the castle gates. Anger and hatred suddenly filled him up and burned in his icy body as he recognised the figure.

Nimueh had come to Camelot… just like Merlin had said.

"Knights of Camelot!" He bellowed, removing his sword from its sheath. "To me!" he ordered.

A small group of men quickly ran to Arthur's side. He could see that they were all trembling slightly, but he wasn't sure what they feared, his anger or Nimueh's power.

Gwen, on the other hand, had fled up the courtyard. As she reached Merlin's still body, she fell on her hands and knees and crawled the last yard to him.

"Merlin! Merlin no!" Gwen cried in a breathless, hoarse voice.

She reached out gingerly. The young man was dead, and she knew that he would still be warm under her touch. She knew that she would feel broken bones beneath his skin. Maybe she would tear way her hand, with specs of blood on her fingertips.

Very, very gingerly, with a quivering hand, she touched Merlin's shoulder.

"Argh!" Merlin exclaimed, causing Gwen to jump back half a foot.

"Merlin!" Gwen almost screeched as she returned to his side.

"Feddyginiaetha 'm chorff, atgyweiria 'm esgyrn," Merlin murmured.

Gwen frowned, not understanding what he'd just said, and suddenly feeling very unsafe, for some reason. And then she saw why.

Merlin's body began to click in painful sounding places. His wrist moved from a sickening angle to one that was natural, he was even flexing his fingers. Soon, the sounds stopped and Merlin rose tentatively.

All Gwen could do was stare.

Merlin looked around, until he saw Arthur and his knights approaching Nimueh. As his eyes narrowed in on the sorceress, he suddenly became exquisitely aware of the magic around him, and he could feel the golden light within him begin to burn brightly and it shone in his eyes.

Unexpectedly, all the colours of the world faded into nothing, leaving him just the sight of silver, gold and blood red. And, he could see a fierce fire of crimson surging out from one point, Nimueh. Before it, though, were several beings of silver and gold, Arthur and his knights.

Merlin walked forwards, to finish the battle that Nimueh had started, when something caught his wrist.

"Merlin, what are you doing?" Gwen asked fearfully.

He turned round to look into the swirling lights that made up Guinevere. He could see her fear and knew that part of it was caused by him, but he didn't have time to explain.

"Let go, Gwen," He ordered softly, though she had already loosened her grip.

He turned back to Arthur and Nimueh and stormed forward. No one was going to die until he'd had his shot. When he realised that the knights weren't moving out of his way, he sought to persuade them.

"MOVE!" he demanded in a voice of authority quite unlike his own.

Arthur flinched, twisting his head back. He had expected to see his father. He hadn't expected to see Merlin. Even more, he hadn't expected to see Merlin staring straight past him, his eyes burning a fierce gold, and a strange aura swirling out and around him.

He didn't know what was going on, but he wasn't about to ask. He aptly moved out of Merlin's way, goggling as he strode past without hesitation.

Merlin stood in front of the knights and glared at Nimueh. She seemed shocked that he was standing before her. She was shocked that she hadn't killed him.

"Bwra aes amdana a achlesa 'm chynghreiriaid!" he called out clear as day, and felt the shield wrap itself around him and everyone else except Nimueh.

"Berwa 'r chrau mewn 'n hwy gwythi!" Nimueh screamed out.

Merlin saw a wave of red magic sent outwards, and he held still, watching… waiting. Then the curse made contact with his spell and it cracked with the strength of thunderclouds. He vaguely noticed that those behind him had cowered at the sight and then flinched at the sound.

"Mai danio arwyrain i fyny a brydia 'ch!" he shouted back a curse, stretching out his hand towards his opponent.

"Archa 'r briddo at chysgoga a gwasg!"

The ground shook beneath them, sending many of the bystanders to fall to the floor. Mortar from the buildings fell downwards, battering Merlin's defensive shield. He did not return a curse, but instead focused on maintaining his protection, and knew that Nimueh would press an advantage.

"Alwa addoed at d a gwna chreiniaist 'ch ben," she whispered softly

Merlin knew what was coming, and quickly thought hard. He didn't know how to stop such a powerful curse, but then realised that he knew how to lessen the effects.

"Bod 'n drugarog a achosa na 'n annhymerus!" he cried out in desperation.

The two spells collided with the crack to rival thunder. He could see the majority of the curse had been stopped. However, when the remainder of the curse touched the shield, he felt it wrap itself around him.

He felt dreadfully tired, exhausted to the point of collapsing. He knew that he had to do something, anything, or else he was fall asleep and Nimueh would win. He spoke the first spell that came to mind.

"Alltudia 'ch chan Camelot," he muttered through the trappings of sleep.

Then he saw a gold wave leave towards Nimueh and when it reached her, she screeched in surprise and then suddenly, she was gone.

He felt himself land on one of his knees painfully. He was vaguely aware of someone walking cautiously towards him.

"Merlin?" a familiar, if extremely wary, voice echoed through his ears.

"Arthur…" he murmured. "Camelot… safe…"

And with that, he collapsed.


	2. Losing parts

Arthur had no sense of feeling. From feeling ice cold and yet burning one moment ago, he could only feel numbness now, which was unshaken by the shock in his mind.

He wanted to collapse to his knees, to give his brain more room to think, but his legs were suddenly detached from his thoughts. He walked involuntarily towards the man who was on his knees, struggling to keep himself from succumbing to exhaustion. The battle had been so short, yet it had held such ferocity.

"Merlin?" he asked, feeling very afraid of his manservant at that moment in time.

"Arthur…" Merlin murmured, trying to maintain consciousness for a few more seconds. "Camelot… safe…"

Arthur had the distinct sensation that Merlin wasn't speaking to him directly, more like he was speaking a list to whoever had been talking to him. He doubted Merlin was aware of who had been addressing him.

For some reason, though, hearing Merlin's list made him feel much safer. It was the sense that something very dangerous had decided to side with him, for no reason other than it wanted to. Plus, Merlin had said his name first, then Camelot, which he was taking to mean that the… sorcerer was more concerned about his safety, than his own.

He then watched Merlin finally give in, and he crumpled to the ground in fatigue. A part of him wanted to walk up to Merlin and help him, somehow, but he realised that it was a very small part of him. Terror gripped him as he realised the truth.

Merlin was a sorcerer. He preformed magic. Magic was prohibited. This meant that Merlin had committed a crime, probably more times than he dared to think. And, what was worse, he was fairly certain that Merlin was fairly powerful in sorcery, simply by the fact that he had managed to withstand Nimueh's attacks and even drive her out of Camelot.

His father would be furious. And there were plenty of witnesses to claim that Merlin had used magic, though he had no idea why he would want to say anything else. He couldn't deny Merlin's actions, but he was frighteningly aware of what the punishment for practising magic was. And, though Merlin had performed some serious, and extremely dangerous, magic just now, he could stand the thought of Merlin being punished for this.

Suddenly, he noticed Gaius had rushed to Merlin's side. Shock entered his body, wondering if the physician knew who he was tending to.

"Gaius, step back," he managed to order, in a shaky voice.

"I would prefer that Merlin wakes in a more comforting environment," Gaius commented in a strong voice, his eyes showing a deep understanding.

Arthur felt his stomach jolt as he realised that Gaius knew, of course it would be incredulous if he didn't after that fight. But, what jolted him even more than Gaius knowing was the fact that Gaius didn't care, as if he'd always known.

Gaius didn't speak to him, but lifted Merlin's unconscious form off the ground. He was having difficulty and he turned to Arthur with expectant eyes. After all, he had shown that he could easily haul Merlin over his shoulder and walk to the physician's study from the Great Hall, and this was a considerably smaller distance.

But that had been before he knew what Merlin was. Now, it terrified him to go anywhere near his…friend. He wondered if friend was the right word for Merlin. Friends don't keep secrets, at least nothing this big, but maybe that was why Merlin hadn't told him.

And if he had, Arthur would have been left with no choice but to report the truth to his father. He was going to do that now, anyway.

Again, as if he had no control over his legs, he slowly joined Gaius. He was certain that there was no prince-like composure on his face, and he knew that his heartbeat was thundering in his ears, quickening and getting louder for every step he took.

He stiffly slung Merlin over his shoulder and followed Gaius back to the physician's study. Once there he lowered Merlin as carefully as he could onto the couch. With his task complete, Arthur forwent any dignity he had remaining as he fled from the room.

* * *

Gaius watched the prince understandingly. Although he was more tolerant to the thought of magic than his father, Arthur was shocked to learn that his manservant had been practising magic, without him knowing or suspecting.

He turned to his unconscious apprentice. He knew that this would be the end for the young man. Uther had prohibited magic, and anyone caught practising was sentenced to death. There had never been an exception… well, except one.

Uther had been fairly suspicious of Merlin when he had returned to the castle with the sphere. He had been close to accusing Merlin of using magic, and of starting the whole incident in the first place. It had been Merlin's lucky day that Gaius had been watching him closely, and had noticed Arthur's essence leaving his pocket.

Yes, Merlin had been very lucky that day. However, he would not be so lucky this time.

* * *

Arthur had run halfway across the castle grounds before he stopped, gasping for breath and with his chest screaming at him in protest. He pressed his back against the nearest wall and slid down it. He held his head below his knees as he panted for air.

He couldn't hide from this. He couldn't run forever, despite how tempting it was to try. He had to go back. He had to report this to his father, if someone hadn't done so already, if hadn't heard the battle himself.

Although he knew this, he made no attempt to stand and return to the castle. He didn't feel anything near ready to face his father with this. He didn't feel at all composed enough to raise his head; his hands were shaking as they gripped his shins tightly.

He was suddenly aware of a ripping sound. Somehow, he knew that it was someone trying to calm down and their breathing kept catching on the back of their throat. He raised his head to locate this distressed person, and was shocked when he did.

It was Gwen. She was kneeling not that far away from his, her head in her hands. Her eyes were probably closed. Her body was wracked with suppressed sobbing. The confrontation had scared her more than it had scared Arthur.

Feeling a small amount of normality and composure return to him, Arthur rose to his feet and walked over to distraught handmaiden. He knelt down and gently held her shoulders, maintaining his hold as she flinched in surprise. He looked into her eyes, watching surprise to give way to shame.

She was ashamed be caught crying. She tried to clear her throat, unsuccessfully, and then spoke in a voice several octaves higher than normal.

"Did you see him?" she whispered in a breaking voice.

He nodded, not knowing if his voice would be any stronger than hers. He watched her turn her head slightly to stare off into a memory.

"The way he landed," she continued, oblivious to Arthur's surprise. "He was so still. I thought… I thought…"

Arthur's mind reeled, thinking back to what she was talking about. The way Nimueh had thrown Merlin across the courtyard… it had been a sickening sight. And, the way he hadn't moved afterwards, it had all but scared the wits from Arthur.

"But then he moved!" Gwen went on. "It looked like every bone in his body was broken, but then he…" she trailed off.

Arthur said nothing. He didn't know what he could say. Gwen was finally catching up with everyone else, and he had to let her do this at her own pace.

"He used magic, didn't he?" she asked, but her tone was flat since she already knew the answer.

Arthur nodded his head again, wondering if he'd left his voice in the courtyard. He silently wondered if that was a good thing, he couldn't report the event to his father if he was mute.

Gwen blinked but was unfazed by Arthur's confirmation, but he reasoned that it would only take a while for the truth to sink in properly. She was still in shock from the ordeal.

"Where's Morgana?" he asked hoarsely.

Gwen suddenly snapped to attention. She looked around wildly, realising that her mistress was nowhere to be seen. The shock and confusion was starting to register in Gwen's face, and Arthur knew that he had no idea on how to help her any more.

He rose to his feet, still holding onto Gwen. She was a dead weight for a moment, before she sprang to her feet. She started walking, until Arthur pulled her back and turned her in the right direction. When he was satisfied that she wasn't going to collapse, he relinquished his secure grip, and walked by her side.

He felt furious with himself, cursing himself for being able to speak. But, he had been helping Gwen deal with the revelation. He hoped that his voice had crept into some tiny corner of his throat, and wouldn't come out when he faced father.

* * *

Merlin felt a sense of déjà vu as he stared into the rafters of the ceiling of Gaius' study. He could feel that he was lying on the couch, like he had done three weeks ago, after he had collapsed from returning Arthur to his body. He had landed on a sharp rock when he had been escaping Nimueh, breaking his skin and two of his ribs. His side was still tender from that.

He turned his head to look over to Gaius. The physician was sitting in his chair, frowning at the sorcerer, angry, disappointed, and very, very frightened. Merlin remembered the incident, and knew the cause for his mentor's disquiet.

"How bad is it?" he asked, though he had a very good idea on his own.

"Very," Gaius replied, his voice uncharacteristically flat. "Arthur has only just returned to the castle. He was guiding Gwen back to Morgana, who I've had to prescribe a calming tonic for."

Merlin wanted to know more than what Gaius had told, but knew that he had no right to ask. However, Gaius seemed to understand his desire.

"Arthur has yet to regain the use of his voice. It's quite a feat to render the prince speechless, but you've done it quite flawlessly. Uther is being surprisingly patient concerning this," Gaius' voice rose in surprise before returning monotone again. "I guess he knows that he can't rush Arthur on this, and he wants to hear his account."

"Gwen?" Merlin asked weakly.

"Gwen is going about her tasks, though she is distant. Everyone is waiting for her to understand all of this. And, judging by how she's acting, I think that might take a while. Unless, of course, you want to show your face?" Gaius shot Merlin a disbelieving look, to which he received a shake of Merlin's head.

"And Morgana?"

"The Lady Morgana has been surprisingly hysterical about this. As I said, I had to prescribe a calming tonic to her. I think she's finally quietened down, or she's just too far from us for me to hear her."

Merlin nodded. He now knew about the conditions of his friends, if they would call them his friends after this. Now, he had to ask the least pleasant question that he had to ask.

"I take it that I'm only alive because Uther is waiting for Arthur to regain his voice," he guessed, not wanting to ask a question. "Or he just wants me to be awake when he kills me."

"All the witnesses, apart from Arthur, Gwen and Morgana, have claimed that you did not start the battle, and that you were protecting Camelot, or at the very least, Arthur. That may have been a help, for you."

"Uther doesn't care if I was protecting Camelot or Arthur, I was using magic, and that's all he'll think about," he muttered harshly. "You got me off the hook last time Gaius, but no one will be able to help me this time."

Merlin swung his legs over to sit up, and, ignoring the woozy feeling as the blood rushed from his head, he walked to his room.

"And where do you think you're going?" Gaius demanded.

"Well if I'm going to die soon, I'd rather die in clean clothes," he answered curtly before closing his door.

He tore off his shirt and trousers, changing into something that was clean and comfortable. He shrugged his jacket on and tied his red bandana around his neck. Feeling sure that he was at least presentable, he left his room and found Gaius was standing in front of the door.

"Uther is waiting out there for you, Merlin," he explained. "There is no reason for you to do this."

"Uther won't wait forever. And, if I don't come out, he'll come in and drag me out," Merlin shrugged sadly.

Gaius knew that Merlin was right. There was no way he could reason with the young man, and so stepped aside. As Merlin passed him, the young sorcerer paused to squeeze his shoulder slightly. And then, he was gone.

Merlin stood tall to the king, his back straight and his head up. This, in itself, was a huge feat, especially since Uther was one drop short of unleashing his wrath on the young man in front of him. But, undaunted, Merlin maintained his air, even as he inclined his head slightly to acknowledge Uther's position above him.

"Merlin, you are charged with the use of magic, an act that is against the laws of Camelot. Do you deny these charges?" Uther demanded coldly.

"No, Sire," Merlin answered calmly, surprised at how calm he was.

"Take him away," Uther motioned to four guards around him.

Merlin stepped forward, his head bowed to show humility. The four guards surrounded him and started walking towards the jail. Merlin could see the awkwardness of the guards and knew that none of them wanted this job.

As he walked along the corridor, he noticed three figures ahead of him. All of them were strangely blank of emotion. But he didn't blame any of them. Considering what he'd done in front of them, he could see no reason why they'd want to talk to them.

Merlin's eyes fell on Gwen. She seemed lifeless, as if the most important piece of her was missing. And, though he knew that he was about to die, he felt the impulse to do something, anything to bring her out from her recluse.

As he passed them, he noticed the torch beside them, burning brightly. He had a sudden rush of inspiration, and thought of a perfect way to tell them all the truth about him to them. The question was: would he have enough time to tell them.

"Mai danio chwimia am 'm eiriau," he whispered.

He willing the fire to dance and was relieved to see the tongues leap high and sputter blue for a moment. He knew that everyone was watching the torch, and him.

"Arddangos 'm choffadwriaethau , 'm deimladau atyn," he spoke softly, his eyes focused on the flames so that they did not confuse his intentions.

Slowly, images flickered in red and orange tones. It was when he had met Arthur, tormenting some poor servant. His time in the stocks, where he had met Gwen, came up to view next. Arthur's face, looking over to him and smiling slightly, subconsciously, Gwen's smiling face, her eyes bright, and Morgana's defiant expression and her confident smile. He showed all of it.

Then, he felt that he had to sum up the truth with one final gesture. He knew that it wouldn't last; Uther would probably destroy the token once he walked past. But… he had to leave with no more secrets.

"Alwa 'r danio at nydd-dro a ffurfia 'm gwir," he whispered, and kept his eyes firmly on the fire. He couldn't allow himself to slip up at this point.

The fire twisted and turned, the red exploded in its ferocity while other parts turned green. The green flames thinned and snaked to join the red. The red flames flattened and articulately formed separate, small disks. Then, the disks condensed inwards, drawing upwards and curling around each other. Then, the flames quietened and became solid.

Merlin slowly reached out and plucked the object from the torch. Now that it had formed, he looked away from the torch and his creation, straight to Gwen. Hesitantly, he offered the rose to her.

Gwen stared the flower incredulously, before turning her surprised gaze to Merlin. She looked deep into his eyes, and found pure sincerity gazing back at her. Slowly, just he had done, she reached out and took the rose from him.

It was warm, like it had been a normal flower that had been placed by fire. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It was perfect.

She felt something inside her move, like a pressure on her heart had suddenly shifted, and it now allowed her to feel again. The first thing she felt was appreciation for the rose in her hand, it was beautiful. Then, she felt pleasure as she realised that this thing of beauty was for her, and only for her. The shock, knowing how the rose had been created. A mixture of shock pleasure came from knowing who had made it: pleasure by knowing it was Merlin, and shock by knowing he had used magic.

From that finally realisation, she felt immense fear. Merlin had used magic, and the use of magic was prohibited, punishable by death. For some reason, she was not afraid of Merlin using magic… maybe that would come later.

Merlin didn't speak anymore, but walked past Gwen and Morgana. He took several steps before turning his head to Arthur's shocked face.

He felt a small amount of pride. He had brought them all some form of an emotional response, by showing them his truth. Gwen had been interesting to observe, but he was glad to see the lights inside her swirling with emotion again. Morgana had been filled with shock, either by seeing magic again, or by seeing what Merlin had shown.

Arthur, however, the light within him was shining unusually. Merlin had only seen it once before, by accident, when he had watched a mother crying over her child, who had died during the night. He saw heartbreak, but he could not place the reason.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to the prince as he walked past.

Arthur didn't answer. He couldn't answer, even if he did have the use of his voice. He had no idea what he would have said, after seeing that.

He had never understood Merlin, he realised. He had never seen the emotions towards them, and fearfully wondered if he simply hadn't been paying attention.

And then Merlin had formed that rose for Gwen. It was such an effortless gesture, with no hidden meaning. The effect it had, though, had been anything but straightforward. However, Arthur didn't feel any negativity towards the act, but instead felt… he didn't know how it made him feel.

Lastly, when Merlin walked away, walking to the castle jail and to his ultimate fate, he had felt his heart break in despair. He knew what would happen and, after seeing the true Merlin, the Merlin who had nothing to hide, he swore that this was nothing but injustice.

"Give that to me," Uther demanded, bring Arthur out from his thoughts.

Gwen looked down at the flower, pitifully sad. It was obvious that she didn't want to let it out of sight, but she sagged her shoulders in resignation. She reluctantly handed the rose over to Uther.

Uther, frowning, crushed the flower in his gloved hand, since there was no way he'd touch such a thing with his bare hands. He crushed it as totally as he could, reminding Arthur of when his father had done the exact same thing to punish him for leaving the castle to find the morteas flower that would cure Merlin, who had been poisoned at the time.

Disgustedly, Uther threw the flower back into the fire that it had been formed from. He then stalked away, ignoring the outraged expressions of his son and ward and the forlorn face of his ward's handmaiden.

Arthur, after glaring at his father's retreating back, walked up to Gwen. He noticed that she was staring at the fire, tears streaming down her face. He looked to Morgana, who had already laid her arm across the poor girl's shoulders. He saw how mad she was at Uther as well.

He then turned his attention to the torch. Merlin had done nothing wrong by making that tiny gift, that simple token of affection, he reasoned. Arthur wished that somehow he could reach into the fire and take the rose out, as perfectly as it had been.

Then, as if the fire knew he request, the flames lifted the mutilated flower to the top, like it would have done if the fire was water. He cautiously reached out, not knowing if what he was doing was right, but he couldn't stand Gwen's depressed face. He felt his fingers grip the stem with ease and when he pulled the rose out, he saw that the flower had returned to its previous condition.

Its petals were fresh and perfectly curled around one another, and the stem was firm and straight. It was the most perfect rose, if not the most perfect flower, Arthur had ever seen. He wasn't one for such trivial objects, but he had to admit its beauty was breathtaking.

He then turned and handed the rose back to Gwen. He saw her face light up in surprise and then she gazed at him with gratitude. He had never seen such a small token mean so much to one person. It made him smile.

His eyes finally left the handmaiden and wondered down the corridor. Merlin had left a while ago, and was probably in a cell by now. He felt his heart tearing again at the thought of Merlin standing on the executioner's block.

"Merlin…" he whispered.


	3. Truths and Decisions

Author's Note: Sorry for taking so long on this. I was suffering from writer's block, trying to connect the first half of this story to the other half.

If you're like me, you may want a tissue for this chapter.

* * *

Merlin sat with his back pressed against the wall at the end of the cell. His wrists were encased by two heavy manacles, and they were already cutting into his skin. He was resting his arms on his knees and wondering how long he'd be stuck in the cell.

He was surprising himself by imagining how he was going to die. Gwen, when she'd been falsely charged with performing magic, was due to die by burning on a pyre. When Merlin had come to Camelot, he had seen a man accused with sorcery being beheaded. There were only so many ways for a person to die, after all.

What surprised Merlin most was the fact that none of this was bothering him. But, he reasoned that he had no need to fear it, because he knew it was coming.

"I would have thought that you'd be trying to escape," Morgana's voice reached his ears.

Merlin blinked and looked to the lady of court. Morgana was nervous, either by speaking to him, or by giving him any ideas. Merlin shrugged disinterestedly.

"What's the point? I've used magic, and I will pay the price for it," he stated simply.

"Have you ever tried not using magic?" Morgana asked meekly, like a child afraid of asking a stupid question.

"I can't," Merlin replied kindly. "Magic is a part of me, like being a prince is a part of Arthur. Being a lady of the court is a part of you," he explained.

Comprehension dawned on Morgana's face, and sadness filled her. Merlin quickly amended his words.

"Don't be sad, milady. As long as Arthur lives, I don't care what happens to me."

"What?!" she demanded, her sadness turning to anger. "How can you say that?! How can you be so lenient on your own life?! Don't get me wrong, I'd be sad if Arthur was ever killed, but you… You. Don't. Care?"

"It's Arthur's destiny to rule Camelot, and it's my destiny to ensure that," Merlin shrugged, knowing that he'd given the wrong impression.

"You're just doing this… for destiny?" she snorted, she didn't believe the excuse.

"What could Arthur possibly want with a sorcerer?" Merlin asked sadly. "What could he want with a servant who doesn't tell him the truth, or hides it from him? Arthur doesn't need me… he never did."

Arthur, who had been coming down to… see Merlin, had stopped at the entrance, when he heard Morgana and Merlin conversation. He remembered from three weeks ago, when he had been enchanted, that he had heard Merlin calling himself 'just his servant'. Now, now that he had shown everyone the truth, hearing Merlin say that Arthur didn't need him… it hurt.

He couldn't forget what Merlin had done, but he had found that there was nothing for him to forgive. Merlin had been afraid of Nimueh's arrival for three weeks, probably afraid of this very outcome.

He had proven to be a good servant, but it was more than that. Merlin had proven to be a devoted friend, probably more than Arthur deserved. Arthur corrected that thought: Merlin was more of a friend than Arthur deserved, a hell of a lot more.

"_Even if your father hadn't ordered me to, I still would have been at your side,"_ Merlin had promised him.

Yes, Arthur didn't deserve a friend like that.

He could still hear Merlin and Morgana talking, but he couldn't decipher their words, nor did he want to. He turned and left the jail, not caring that his footsteps reverberated around him.

Morgana turned to the entrance, hearing someone making a speedy departure. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she turned back to the captive sorcerer.

"I think that was Arthur," she stated.

Merlin looked towards the entrance, his eyes narrowed and his brow creased slightly in concentration. His eyes followed something that Morgana couldn't see, and then he turned back to her.

"It was," he confirmed.

"I guess I'd better go and speak to him. He probably wanted to… see you."

"I take it he's still not talking," Merlin guessed.

Morgana didn't answer him. She smiled faintly to him before turning and walking out, leaving the sorcerer only with his thoughts.

* * *

Again, Arthur had no idea where he was going. He seemed to be doing that a lot today. And, he mildly wondered where his unplanned wondering would take him this time. He didn't pause or question his destination, he'd find out sooner or later.

Finally, Arthur stopped. He had to, well… if he didn't want to tumble down a cliff, he had to stop. It took Arthur a moment to realise where he was, and the torch in his hand wasn't as much of a clue as he had been hoping. Then, a large shape dropped onto an outcrop in the cavern before him.

"Welcome, young prince," the booming figure greeted, its golden eyes trained on Arthur mercilessly. "Do you know who I am?"

Arthur nodded. Then he noticed that the figure probably couldn't see the gesture. Right now, he needed his voice.

"Yes," he croaked. "You're the Great Dragon, the last of the dragons… my father killed all of your kind, except you…" he trailed off, unsure as to why he was speaking, or why he was saying something that would probably anger the beast.

"That is correct, and as you can hear, you can speak, when need calls for it," the dragon smiled at him, showing off a large jaw full of teeth.

Arthur swallowed hard. He cursed himself for following his feet. He would die for being an idiot, and this was probably going to be painful.

"Merlin must not die," the dragon commanded, shaking Arthur in surprise.

"What?"

"You must not allow your father, the king, to end his life. You need him, just like he needs you. You are two sides of the same coin, prince of Camelot," the dragon explained.

"But, Merlin is a sorcerer," Arthur protested weakly, since he didn't want Merlin to die. "Sorcery is prohibited in Camelot, and the penalty is death."

Suddenly, the dragon shook and raised its head. It roared so loudly that Arthur had to cover his ears and stalactites fell from the roof of the cavern. It lowered its head to glower at the quivering prince.

"Merlin is no sorcerer, nor will he ever be. Merlin is a warlock," the dragon clarified.

"I don't understand," Arthur whimpered, terrified of this overpowering creature. He'd never been this terrified of anything before, not even his father.

"A sorcerer cares only of themselves, nothing of others," the dragon explained, its voice seething.

"Merlin isn't like that," Arthur stated.

"That is why he is a warlock," the dragon smiled slightly, as if pleased that Arthur was on the same page of understanding as him.

"And how could I get my father to believe that?" Arthur queried, doubtful that the dragon had an answer.

"You won't," was the reply. "But, you must try, or Merlin will die."

"And why would I want to save him? Not that I don't," he stuttered.

"Because if you do not, Camelot will fall and everyone will die. Do you want this?" the dragon asked calmly, though its anger was quite clear.

"No," Arthur shook his head. "But if what I say won't matter, then why should I bother?"

"If that is your choice, I will not dissuade you."

Then the dragon extended its huge wings and took off. In its wake, it left a very confused Arthur Pendragon.

* * *

As Arthur walked slowly up the stairs, he went over the conversation in his mind. The dragon had called Merlin a warlock, saying that he wasn't nor would he ever be a sorcerer. Arthur reasoned that there was some reason for the differentiation.

And then, it came to him.

As Arthur thought the thought through, he felt proud of himself and jogged to the Great Hall. He felt that he was now ready to deliver his report. As he reached the doors, he heard someone, two people speaking. He instantly identified them as his father and Morgana.

Intrigued, he paused to listen.

"_You can't do this!"_ Morgana protested. _"Merlin has done nothing wrong!"_

"_He used sorcery, Morgana! And I saw those spells long ago. I know how experienced a sorcerer must be to cast those enchantments," _Uther retorted.

"_He saved Arthur!" _Morgana continued to argue. _"He saved Camelot and everyone in it, even the Knights of Camelot!"_

"_Enough!"_ Uther shouted at his ward. _"He has committed to sorcery. Therefore, he will be put to death, just like all others that came to plague Camelot before him."_

"_Plague?!"_ Morgana repeated, incredulously. _"Merlin has done nothing to jeopardise Camelot. We don't know how many times he's saved this kingdom, or any of us for that matter!"_

"_This discussion is closed, Morgana. I will hear no more about it!"_

There was a pause, and Arthur wondered if perhaps they had left the room. Then, he heard more sounds, it almost sounded like crying.

"_Merlin saved Camelot from a sorceress that you failed to kill more than twenty years ago,"_ Morgana stated, her voice quivering, with suppressed rage. _"And as a reward for his heroism… you're going to kill him?"_

Arthur felt that this was his time to step in and, finally, speak his piece. He pushed both doors opened, ignoring the outraged face on his father's face at the intrusion which almost instantly turned to surprise.

"Forgive the intrusion, Milord," Arthur apologised, his voice ringing clear. "I am ready to deliver my report."

Uther smiled, satisfied with Arthur's announcement, and obviously pleased that his on was speaking again. He nodded in approval, and waited.

"I apologise for not reporting sooner, there was much to think about and sort out in my mind," Arthur explained, feeling slightly unnerved by his father's patient expression.

Uther smiled understandingly and nodded, accepting his son's explanation, and encouraging him to speak. He watched as Arthur cleared his throat and inhaled deeply.

"This morning, the sorceress, Nimueh entered Camelot. She attacked us without provocation… she attacked Merlin. I called the Knights of Camelot to me, to oppose the sorceress. We never had a chance to advance. From behind me, Merlin called for us to move aside. He stepped forward and engaged her on his own. The confrontation was brief, and the sorceress was expelled from Camelot," Arthur paused, knowing that his father would want to ask questions.

"And how did Merlin confront the sorceress?" Uther asked, his voice hard and expectant.

"With magic," Arthur replied factually.

He saw Morgana close her eyes in exasperation, disappointed with Arthur. His father, on the other hand, seemed proud. He was proud that Arthur was finally seeing his way, his opinion to magic.

"However," he continued. "I do not think Merlin should be punished for his actions."

Comprehension was a void on Uther's face, and was instead replaced with disbelief. Morgana was stunned, but awe was the main emotion on her face. As he observed them, Arthur wondered how the heck he'd gotten so good at reading people's expressions.

"What was that?" Uther demanded.

"Merlin should not be punished for what he did," Arthur repeated.

"You said it yourself, Arthur. Merlin has been practising sorcery, and the penalty for such is death."

"Yes, Father, I do not deny you. Sorcery is evil and all those practising it should be put to death," Arthur agreed with his father.

"Arthur!" Morgana protested, outraged.

"But Merlin does not practise sorcery. He practises magic," Arthur clarified, speaking every word with thought and care. "He is not a sorcerer, he is a warlock."

A stunned silence echoed in the room. As the seconds ticked away, Arthur could almost see his father's mind working to understand his comments. However, comprehension did not dawn on his father's face, only anger.

"Magic is sorcery," Uther stated, deathly calm. "A warlock is the same as a sorcerer."

"I do not deny that they are quite similar, Milord, but there are subtle differences," Arthur pressed, surprised at how calm the tone that he was maintaining was. "And it is those differences that are my evidence that Merlin should not be put to death."

Morgana looked like she wanted to say something. But, for once, she either had nothing to say or she knew that she should keep her mouth shut. Her face shone with admiration for Arthur's well thought out report.

If only she knew that he was playing his cards as he got them.

"You have often told me that anyone engrossed in sorcery thinks inwards, only about themselves. Merlin is not like that. Those who practise sorcery flaunt their powers every chance they have. Merlin doesn't do that. Those who practise sorcery care only about themselves, and would only save someone if they held some strategic importance. Merlin risked his life to save everyone in Camelot. He is not a sorcerer."

Uther looked at his son coolly, judging. He jutted his chin out slightly, giving an extreme impression of arrogance that Arthur had never seen before.

Suddenly, the prince had a very bad feeling that his attempt to persuade his father was about to go pear-shaped. And the feeling wasn't proven wrong.

"Of course… you have proven to be more than susceptible to the effects of sorcery," Uther mentioned, his voice dangerously calm.

Arthur felt the colour drain from his face, and it was replaced by burning indignation. He could not believe that his father had stooped so low, to discredit his words by suggesting that he was under the influence of a spell. He could not believe his ears.

Apparently, neither could Morgana.

"You have both spent much time around him," Uther continued. "There's no telling what he could have cast on either of you. There are a many number of spells that could confound a mind concerning certain topics."

"Will you listen to yourself?" Morgana demanded. "You're using anything to lessen our opinions, just so you can kill Merlin!"

"It is my task to protect all in Camelot from those who practice sorcery," Uther snapped. "And I cannot trust the opinions of any who might have been compromised."

"Merlin saved my life," Arthur reminded. "He's probably saved my life more times than I dare count!"

"Thank you for your report, Arthur. But, I have made my decision," Uther stated sternly.

Arthur seethed as he watched his father turn around and start walking out of the room. Uther walked three paces before Arthur' temper broke.

"You're murdering an innocent man!" Arthur shouted to his father, the outrage he had been moderating had flown into an inferno of anger.

Uther slowed and came to a halt. He turned his torso, maintaining his feet's stance. He looked into Arthur's furious expression, unfazed by his son.

"We'll see," he promised.

Then, Uther turned back round and walked out of the room. In his wake, he left two very livid youths glaring at his retreating back. He did not see his son shaking uncontrollably.

When he left the room, the pair regained their voices.

"Arthur, we can't let him do this!" Morgana protested.

"We won't," Arthur announced. "Come with me."

He turned round abruptly and rushed out of the Great Hall. Morgana was promptly on his heels, following him, though she had no idea where they were destined. However, she was not surprised to find them barging into Gaius' study.

"Gaius," Arthur addressed the physician with a commanding tone. "I want to know the truth, and you will not lie to me."

Gaius lowered his shoulders slightly as he understood the meaning of Arthur's words. He took a deep breath and began.

"He has been able to perform magic since before he came to Camelot," Gaius explained. "He was sent here so I could watch over him and be a mentor to him, so that he could learn how to use his gifts properly."

"He's always been able to use magic?" Morgana asked, frowning slightly.

Gaius nodded sadly. He knew the impossibility of lying to the pair in front of him, and for some reason, was glad to finally be able to explain Merlin's position to someone.

"It was only recently that he learnt how to channel his magical talents into something other than encouraging or preventing movement in objects."

"Wait a minute– did you say 'encourage movement'?" Arthur asked, suddenly remembering an event close to when he'd first met Merlin.

"You remember the brawl, Sire?" Gaius asked with a coy smile on his face, watching with interest as Arthur's face turned several different colours.

Arthur remembered that brawl. It had been the most humiliating fight of his life. He probably almost killed Merlin that day, swinging the flail round as he had. Things kept on getting in his way, he had been so unobservant that day, so focused on causing grievous, bodily harm to the young man who had had the stupidity to stand up to the Prince of Camelot.

He had said that day that there was something different about Merlin, but he wasn't able to identify what it was at the time that had given him that strange feeling. Now he knew why.

"How did he learn?" Arthur asked, rather than admit to remembering that fight.

"I… gave him a book, which taught him all the spells he knows," Gaius admitted reluctantly.

"Where is this book?" Arthur pressed, not caring about the story behind it.

"It would be in his room, though I have no idea where it could be," Gaius replied as Arthur charged into Merlin's room.

Arthur frantically tossed all of Merlin's belongings about, searching for the book. He was sure that he had searched the room twice, before he noticed that floorboard he had just stepped on had squeaked. He incredulously thought that Merlin couldn't have hidden it in such an obvious spot.

And yet, after pulling away two loose floorboards, there it was: Merlin's spell book. It was a large, heavy book, bound with a worn, leather cover. It was amazing for Arthur to think of what could be in this book that was in his hands.

He shook his head and, as he did, caught sight of a cloak and bag. Frowning slightly, he stood up and examined the two items. The cloak would be very good for hiding someone and the bag…

Arthur felt his stomach drop as he analysed the contents of the bag. There was a blanket, two skins of water and three days worth of food and probably most of Merlin's wages in there.

_He's been planning this for some time. No,_ Arthur corrected himself. _He's been prepared for this. He knew that he couldn't keep his secret quiet for much longer._

Arthur ignored the sad feeling that was creeping into the back of his mind and wrapped the cloak and bag into a tight bundle, tucking it under his arm. He strode out of Merlin's room and, after a brief nod to Gaius, turned to Morgana.

"Let's go," he ordered.

"Wait, what are we doing?" Morgana insisted, although she had a pretty good idea of the answer.

"Isn't it obvious?" Arthur chided her. "We're busting Merlin out. He'll be gone from Albion by dawn."

* * *

The light from the torches flickered into the cell; the sun had set more than an hour ago. It made Merlin's face seem gaunter and older than it should be. The flame-light glistened on the cold, iron manacles and was reflected off the deep blue eyes of the warlock. It cast unnatural looking shadows across the floor.

Merlin's eyes watched a tiny shadow scurry across the flagstones, nibbling at the straw that covered his cell. Every so often, the tiny creature would raise itself and sniff the air, its tail swishing about to keep it balanced.

It was such a fascination, to watch a living creature made entirely of silver light. But, Merlin argued that there is neither good nor evil in something as simple as a mouse. It wasn't a surprise that the mangy, orange tabby was also made purely of silver light. He watched them with mild interest, as the cat approached its unsuspecting prey. Soon enough, the cat was within pouncing distance.

"Gollwng 'm arddyrnau chan 'n hwy bandau," Merlin muttered.

The manacles harmlessly unlocked themselves and fell to the ground as Merlin stood up. He quickly scooped up the tiny rodent and glared at the cat.

"Go on, Shoo!" he shouted at the cat.

The cat, terrified by Merlin's abrupt display, hissed at the warlock and fled the dungeon. It raced past a young maiden that was making her way downstairs. The woman stopped before continuing cautiously. Just before she came into sight of the cell, she could hear someone talking and she stopped and listened. As she listened, she toyed absentmindedly at the perfect flower in her hand.

"You've got to be more careful," Merlin chided. "If you don't look out for yourself, then you'll end up as some cat's dinner."

The maiden smiled as she heard quiet squeaking. Talking to a mouse was something that she could picture Merlin doing. She cautiously entered the cell room and saw Merlin had his back to her.

Merlin was facing the back wall, his hand outstretched to the window. A tiny creature nimbly climbed off his hand and onto the sill. When he was happy that the mouse wasn't going to fall, Merlin lowered his hand.

"Now, you go and stay out of the dungeons. Unlike me, you don't have a reason to be here," he stated.

"I don't know," the young lady disagreed. "I can't think of a reason why you're in here."

Merlin twisted round to look at the young lady who had addressed him. He grinned eagerly at her, watching with pleasure at the swirl of magic and emotion inside her. He looked down to check his footing before stepping off the bed. He walked to the front of the cell, still smiling.

"Gwen," he greeted her.

"It's good to see you Merlin," Gwen smiled at him. "Not– not that it's good to see you in a cell," she hastily added. "It's just… good to see you."

"Yeah," Merlin agreed. "I was hoping to see you before… you know."

"I can't believe that the king's really going to this," she murmured sadly. "You saved so many people and he's going to…" she trailed off, unwilling to say any more and fighting back the tears.

"I broke the laws, Gwen," Merlin shrugged sadly. "This was going to happen sooner or later."

"But you haven't hurt anybody," she protested, tears leaking from her eyes.

"I nearly hurt you," Merlin admitted, shamefaced. "When the water was poisoned, and your father was sick… I…"

"It was you?!" Gwen's eyes widened in surprise. "You saved him?"

"And you were almost burned for sorcery that you never did. My actions almost killed you!" Merlin stared her guilt-ridden.

"But I'm still here," she reminded him. "And so is everyone else in Camelot, because of you."

"Uther won't be happy to hear that," Merlin noted.

The pair was silent for a moment, contemplating. Gwen watched Merlin as he looked at her. She felt cold as he did so, remembering that this was a relatively new look that she had received from him, along with everyone else.

"Why do you look at me like that?" she asked, trying not to sound irritated.

"Like what?" Merlin frowned.

"It's like you're looking through me, as if I'm not even there," she clarified, feeling miffed at the annoyed tone in her voice. "You look at everyone that way nowadays."

Merlin blinked in surprise. It was clear that he hadn't realised that he was looking through people, instead of at them. He lowered his eyes as he tried to think.

"I didn't… I didn't know. I didn't realise that I looked at people like that," he admitted, returning his gaze to Gwen, trying desperately to look at her, and failing miserably.

"How can you not know how you're looking at people?" Gwen asked.

"I guess… I guess it's because I don't see people the way I used to. I see a lot more than just a person's face," he explained.

"I don't understand," Gwen frowned, shaking her head.

"If only you could see what I see," Merlin stated wistfully. "You have no idea what everything is really like," he assured, looking to her, his eyes softening. "You have no idea… how beautiful you really are."

It was Gwen's turn to blink in surprise. She didn't know what she had been expecting him to say, but that certainly wasn't it.

"Gold and silver light, that's all you are," he told her adoringly. "No evil, red taint, just… gold and silver swirling around like snow caught in a breeze," he smiled slightly. "It's breathtaking just to see you. You're beautiful."

Gwen felt her stomach flip as she realised what he was saying. It wasn't that he was looking through her; he was looking inside her, seeing her for what she truly was. And what's more, he liked what she was inside. 'Gold and silver' he had said, 'no evil, red taint', he said, 'snow caught in a breeze' he'd described her as. She was astonished to know that this was what she really looked like: pure.

"And what about everyone else?" she asked breathlessly.

"Everyone is unique," he explained. "Everyone has some amount of gold and red in them, and everyone has silver."

"Prince Arthur and the Lady Morgana?" she asked curiously.

"Arthur shines as gold as you do, though he manages to hide it, sometimes. It depends on who he's around; you, me or Morgana, he's gold from head to toe; with his friends, the Knights of Camelot, he turns silver," Merlin described.

"And the Lady Morgana?" Gwen asked again.

"I… don't know how to explain her. Don't get me wrong; she's as gold as you or Arthur, but she seems… I don't know, a little brighter than you two. I don't know why though," he frowned thoughtfully.

Gwen said nothing to disrupt his musing. She was far too fascinated by what he'd just described to her. She, Arthur and Morgana were full of gold and silver, whatever that meant. All she knew was that these were colours that Merlin seemed to like, and the fact that she was filled with it made her feel very happy. Ecstatic, she noticed Merlin smile.

"I'm glad that you're happy," he remarked simply. "You were too sad when you came in."

"You know how I'm feeling?" Gwen asked, surprised.

"It's the way all the light changes when you feel differently. It… moves in a different pattern, at a different speed."

Gwen found herself trying to envisage what Merlin was describing. The idea that everyone was full of swirling gold and silver light… it sounded magnificent. She tried to imagine what Merlin would look like, positive that he would be filled with gold light, since gold seemed to be great importance to him.

"I bet it's beautiful to see the world like that," she whispered.

"It not always so beautiful," he replied. "There are some people who are filled with much red light, and some have no gold in them at all. I feel sick when I look at those people."

It was hard for Gwen to imagine a person with no gold light, filled with nothing but a sickly red light. Somehow, she knew that it meant that there was no good in those people.

She felt the overwhelming desire to know more, to understand more of Merlin's world, the nature of the life he led. Then, she realised that she could never know enough. She would always want to know more about him, and there was a whole new side of him for her to acquaint herself with.

It was a side of him that she would never know. Desolation filled up inside her, and now she knew that Merlin would see the change immediately. She thought desperately on how she could explain her sorrow to him.

"There's so much that I want to know, Merlin," she explained to his worried face. "I want to know so much about you, and… and…" she couldn't stop the tears for long, and she was struggling to keep her breathing even. "I'll never know. The king is going to take you away from me and I'll never know what everything is like for you. Now that I know that you–" she cut herself off, too racked with sobbing that she couldn't speak.

"Don't cry, Gwen!" Merlin begged her. "Please, don't cry because of me."

Merlin moved to stand right in front of her, sticking one his hands through the bars. He felt wretched as she flung herself forwards to cling onto his outstretched hand. He could feel her pressing her face into his palm, her eyes tightly shut as she tried in vain to stop herself from crying. He pulled his hand closer to the bars, and she followed blindly, so that he could wrap his other arm around her, holding her as close as he could.

"Please, please don't cry, Gwen," he whispered desperately. "Please don't cry."

However, Gwen continued to sob into his hand. With nothing else to do, he rested his cheek lightly on the top of her head and slowly rubbed her back, comfortingly, with his free hand. He didn't know how long it would take for Gwen to calm down, and he prayed that it wouldn't be long.

A sudden flurry of footsteps instantly caught his attention. He stiffened at the sound, fearing who it was. His reactions forced Gwen to quieten, as she also looked around to see who was coming. They both knew that they should move away, but were frozen by the sounds.

Then Arthur came bundling into the room, causing the pair to separate like a spring, jumping back about three feet each. It was quickly noticed that he hadn't seen their close moment, as he was too busy trying to catch his breath, his brow glistening with sweat. Merlin found himself reasoning that Arthur had probably run all the way to the cell.

"Arthur?" Merlin asked tentatively.

Arthur stared at him, still struggling for breath, when Morgana joined them. She was instantly the centre of attention for one simple reason. She had keys.

Arthur took them from her without a word and moved to the door of Merlin's cell. He unlocked the door and pulled it open. He looked at Merlin before drawing in a deep breath, which seemed to steady him for a moment.

"Let's go," he ordered. "We're getting you out."

"What?" Merlin asked, ignoring Gwen's gasp of surprise and joy.

"My father isn't going to kill you, Merlin," Arthur stated sternly. "I won't let him."

"Arthur, you can't be serious?!" Merlin exclaimed, wondering how long ago Arthur had regained the ability to speak.

"I'm dead serious. Now let's go!" he barked the order at Merlin, confusion creeping in when Merlin started shaking his head.

"No, Arthur I can't! You can't risk yourself like this!" Merlin protested.

"I don't care about risking myself!" Arthur all but shouted at him. "Merlin, you are leaving Camelot tonight even if I have to knock you out and carry you myself!"

The two men glared at each other, both daring the other to admit defeat. But they had known each other for quite some time now, and they both knew how stubborn the other was. Finally, it was Merlin's eyes that softened, and he shook his head.

"Alright, fine," he conceded.

Arthur handed him the bundle and stepped back, a triumphant look on his face. However, when Merlin stepped out of the cell and followed him, Morgana and Gwen out of dungeon and out of Camelot, saying nothing… it made Arthur feel more than a little suspicious,

He knew that Merlin wouldn't go down like this without a fight. He knew that something was wrong, but he could figure out what it was. And, whatever it was, it frightened him slightly.

But he didn't complain. Soon, the four of them were speeding past the forests of Albion. After they crossed over a river, Arthur brought them to a halt. He told Merlin to get down from Arthur's horse, since the two of them had been riding together. Merlin did as he was told and watched Arthur with expectant eyes.

"There's enough food and water in that bag to last for three days," Arthur informed him. "There's also a sleeping blanket, your wages and your book."

Merlin nodded to him without indication of a comment.

"There's a town not two day's walk from here," Arthur nodded in the general direction. "Just keep heading north."

Merlin still didn't say anything, simply watching Arthur as he shifted uncomfortably in his saddle.

"Never return to Albion, Merlin," Arthur requested sincerely, sadness in his voice. "Never come back to Camelot."

With nothing else to say, he turned his horse around and sent it speeding back the way they had come. Morgana spoke a brief goodbye before following Arthur. Gwen made to follow them, before turning her horse round look at Merlin, standing on the river bank. Tears ran down her face as she saw how alone he was going to be.

"Goodbye, Merlin," she whispered.

Then she sped back down the road to Camelot. The cold air bit at her face as she rode, clawing the tears from her eyes. Her sobbing was stolen by the wind as it howled in her ears. She could swear that it was screaming at her, telling her that she had made a mistake.

But still, she rode on. Soon, not long after the peak of dawn, Camelot came into view, sparkling in the day's new sunlight. Never before had it seemed so disheartening to behold it, and Gwen could feel the tears, which had run dry in the night, begin to fall again.

For she knew, just like Morgana, just like Arthur, she was coming home to a place that no longer felt like home. It was missing one key piece, and that piece… was Merlin.


	4. The Silence before the Storm

Author's note: I couldn't think of a good speech for Uther near the end so I borrowed the one from episode 1. And yes, I know I'm mean, but I make good cliffhangers.

* * *

The morning was half-gone, and the trio had finally made it back to the castle grounds. They left their horses in the care of the stable boy and entered the castle.

Arthur was at the lead, with Morgana and Gwen in tow. Every step they took felt like the weight of the world was trying to push them down, smothering them into the ground.

Arthur decided that being smothered sounded much better than facing up to his father. He didn't really feel like meeting those disappointed eyes, that furious face, and the tone that would tell him everything he already knew: he was a failure to his father.

Which was why he was not surprised to see his father waiting for them in the courtyard. He fought the instinct to run away to wherever Merlin had gone to, since the warlock probably wouldn't want his company anyway.

As he approached, he noticed a beggar was also entering the courtyard. This beggar wasn't stooped, however; he walked proudly, as the shape to large to be female. And this beggar wore a long brown cloak of a fairly well made fabric. The bag on his back was of fair quality, too, and was fully packed, with a large square on the top.

"He didn't…" Arthur whispered in dismay, slowing his stride.

The figure turned his head to look in Arthur's direction. A few seconds passed before the beggar lowered his hood, revealing raven black hair, pale skin and ocean blue eyes.

Arthur stopped dead, mid-stride. His jaw hung in astonishment, and in a un-prince-like fashion. He could hear Morgana and Gwen had stopped walking behind him, and one of them had gasped, probably Gwen.

"You… idiot!" Arthur stated after a moment. "We got you all the way out of Albion!"

"And I came all the way back," Merlin concluded with a shrug of his shoulders.

"How?" Morgana asked, aware of how stupid it sounded.

"By magic," Merlin replied.

"Why?" Gwen asked, knowing that hers was a question that made the most sense.

"I belong in Camelot. It's my destiny," Merlin answered sadly.

He didn't give them a chance to ask anything else, as he turned round and walked to Uther. The king's face had turned from rage to shock; apparently, he couldn't believe his eyes either.

Merlin bowed respectively to him before walking past and heading straight back to the castle dungeons. Uther watched the warlock with a gobsmacked expression, observing every movement. When Merlin was out of sight, he turned his attention back to his son, ward and her handmaiden. He noticed that none of them had moved, and all of them had the same shocked face.

None of them had been expecting him to return.

* * *

Arthur paced. He was breathing heavily, trying to reframe from making enraged comments. He could feel himself getting dizzy from pacing, but he didn't care.

"Arthur you're going to wear a hole in the floor," Morgana stated irritably. "And, I feel dizzy watching you."

"Then don't watch," Arthur snapped.

"It's pretty hard when you walk past me every two seconds!" she retorted, glaring at him.

At this, Arthur stopped. He clenched his fists harder and harder until his knuckles turned white. His fingernails were digging into his palms, but he didn't care. Physical pain was much easier to focus on.

"I… I can't believe he came back," Gwen whispered sadly, on the verge of tears.

"We got him out of Albion," Morgana continued, her irritation with Arthur had quickly deflated and was replaced with empathic sadness. "Why did he return? He knew that he would die if he came back, so why?"

"I should have known that he wouldn't have given in so easily," Arthur added, his tone frosty with bitterness. "He only came with us so we didn't fight about it. The idiot!" Arthur slammed his fist down on the table.

"Do you mind?!" Gaius demanded. "I can't afford a new table!"

Arthur glared at the physician for a moment, before lowering his eyes shamefully. He mumbled something incoherently, but it sounded like an apology. He flexed his hand carefully, he had hit the table harder than he had intended.

Gaius stood up from the chair he had been sitting in, where he had been watching the three youths, allowing them to vent and express themselves. He took Arthur's hand and gave it a quick check for any damage.

"Merlin had to return," he stated factually. "His destiny is in Camelot."

"You know, I'm getting pretty tired of this destiny lark," Arthur swore angrily.

"It is Merlin's destiny to ensure the success of the future King of Camelot," Gaius continued, eying Arthur. "And besides, if he had not returned, what difference would his leaving make?"

"What do you mean, Gaius?" Morgana asked, frowning in confusion.

"The king would have sent out a search for him, beyond his own lands, and would have had him dragged back to Camelot. Merlin probably would have been sentenced to die the moment he got back," Gaius looked sternly at the three youths. "And all you would have accomplished would be the destruction of any and all trust the king has in any of you. By returning, he shows that you did this of your own free will, and that he is willing to accept the consequences of his actions."

"You mean he's willing to die for using magic to save our lives?!" Arthur snapped.

"There is nothing we can do, I'm afraid," Gaius stated sadly, looking much older in the change of a second. "Merlin's fate is out of our hands now," he reported as he returned to his chair.

"It's not right," Morgana whined.

"It's not fair," Arthur whispered in agreement.

None of them said anything for a while. None of them looked at each other. Morgana looked at the ground. Arthur looked at the fire. Gaius was staring out of window. Gwen was fidgeting with the petals of the rose Merlin had given her, the blood red petals.

"I wonder how red the king is," she thought aloud.

"What was that?" Gaius asked, his eyes snapped to her.

"Oh! Err, nothing. I was just–" Gwen stuttered, stumbling for an explanation.

"How did you know what Merlin could see?" Gaius asked.

"See? See what?" Morgana asked, her interest flitting between Gwen and Gaius.

"What are you talking about?" Arthur demanded, his attention equally torn.

Gaius let out a sigh, bring all the focus to him, and away from the petrified handmaiden.

"For the past three weeks, since the incident with Nimueh's spell," he motioned to Arthur, who shifted uncomfortably at the memory. "Merlin has been able to look within a person, and perceive all their deeds and wrongdoings. He sees it in the form of a dull light, and the colour is dependant on the intentions of the action. If a person means ill, then the light will be red, if meant for good, it will be gold. If an action is done with the intentions favouring neither good nor ill, then it will shine silver."

"I don't understand, Gaius," Morgana interrupted. "What does that mean?"

"The light is stored within a person. Magic, as Merlin has discovered, flows inside all of us, but for most, there is not enough for them to be able to manipulate. But it the _magic_ that he sees, and he sees how a person can affect it with their emotions and their intentions. The more good an individual does, the more of the magic within them will shine gold," Gaius explained.

"And the more evil they do…" Arthur summed up. "The more of the… light inside them will turn red."

"Exactly," Gaius confirmed. "This is how Merlin can determine a person's personality, whether or not the man, or woman, in front of him is someone he will like or get along with."

"And the light in everyone is different," Gwen added. "The mixture of red, silver and gold is unique to every person."

"Just like a voice or a face," Gaius finished.

There was a moment's pause as the information sunk in.

"Wow," Arthur muttered simply.

"Magic is inside everyone…" Morgana mused. "If Uther ever found out–"

"My father would kill whoever told him, or have a heart attack. Maybe even both," Arthur's eyebrows rose at the thought, before lowering to frown. "I bet I'm full of red. I've done a lot of things."

"All of them the actions of a young man entertaining himself. You meant no real harm," Gaius assured him, to which he received a doubtful glance.

"Merlin said you were all gold," Gwen commented. "Just like me and Lady Morgana."

Arthur looked at her. He felt hopeful as he smiled slightly, crookedly, at her. Gwen had been speaking to Merlin before he had rushed in to release the warlock. He comforted himself with the knowledge that Gwen wouldn't say something like that if she wasn't telling the truth. Besides, honesty was plastered all over her face.

A that point in time, a flurry of knocking reverberated from Gaius' closed door. The physician rose from his chair and opened the door enough for him to see a young page standing there. Their conversation was heard from the other side of the room.

"Andrew," Gaius greeted the boy, no older than twelve.

"You told me to come to you if I heard anything about that sorcerer, sir," Andrew explained, his voice had yet to break and was squeaky.

"Yes, I did," Gaius confirmed. "What news do you have?"

"The king has ordered that he is executed tomorrow morning," the boy announced. "It's not happening today because they have had to summon the axman."

"He's…" Gaius' voice broke at that point in time, causing him to clear his throat. "He's to be… beheaded?"

Gwen shuddered, her hands gripping the rose tightly. Her eyes watered, and tears ran silently down her face. Her mouth hung in despair, almost screaming silently, and her face was of one tortured.

Colour drained from Morgana's face. She felt her heart sink and her stomach felt cold. She lowered her head, unable to lift it as it suddenly felt so heavy, and she raised a hand to cover her mouth.

Her eyes were shut, but she could see the beheading of a young man who had been charged with magic. The man's mother had vowed vengeance for her son's murder. It was the day Merlin had come to Camelot. But as the event ran repeatedly in her head, the young man changed to another, one with raven black hair and azure blue eyes.

Arthur had grabbed onto the table for support. Now he laid his forearms across it, leaning over. His head was bowed as he tried not to imagine his friend's death the blade of an axe.

He tried not to imagine life without Merlin, a life where he would not be greeted by a stupid smile every time he was seen by his friend, his servant. It had always been an odd feeling for him, to have someone simply glad to see him… it had felt… nice, enjoyable. Seeing Merlin smile simply because he was there had, somehow, always made him feel like a weight had been taken off his shoulders.

He wasn't going to see that smile again.

"Thank you, Andrew," Gaius told the boy breathlessly.

"Does he really have to die, Gaius sir?" Andrew asked, sadly yet hopefully. "I mean, he saved Prince Arthur's life, didn't he? He saved Camelot, didn't he?"

The boy had no idea of the people in Gaius' study. Nor was he aware that his wanting Merlin to live was bringing slight comfort to those people, a comfort knowing that they were not alone in wanting Merlin to be spared.

"I wish he didn't," Gaius answered truthfully, before closing the door.

Gaius said nothing as he returned to his chair. He did not notice Arthur approach him until the prince knelt down to look Gaius in the eye.

"Ask, and we'll leave you be, Gaius," Arthur informed him, gently.

Gaius said nothing but nodded. Taking the hint, Arthur rose to his feet. He tapped Morgana and Gwen on their shoulders before motioning to the door. They all silently left and Arthur closed the door behind him. They left the physician with the privacy to express his grief.

* * *

Merlin's eyes flickered over the page. So many spells lay in his book, and he would never be able to learn them. It felt like such a waste.

"I'm not sure if I approve of that," a voice spoke with a stern tone.

Merlin looked up from his book and found that he was glaring at Uther. Despite knowing that he should lower his gaze respectfully, Merlin continued to glare at the man who had sentenced him to death. He didn't care about respect, nor did he care when Uther shifted, uncomfortable with the warlock's gaze.

"I'm not going to run from this," Merlin informed the king, spitefully. "And you can burn the book after you kill me."

Discomfort burned in Uther like a fire. He had a mixture of silver and gold, like most people Merlin had seen, but there was a definite streak of red in him. The red was of an evil he had done a long time ago. Merlin had noticed the same red mark in Gaius, but had never dared ask him about it, although, seeing it in Uther, he had a good idea where it was from.

"Do you ever wonder how many good people you killed in that Great Purge? How many of those sorcerers and sorceresses were kind people, trying to do good in the world with what they were born with?" Merlin asked, pitying Uther as he saw the uncertainty and pain swirl around him. "Do you ever wonder how many warlocks and wiccan you murdered?"

"My focus was keeping Camelot safe from magic," Uther whispered, his voice suddenly strained.

"Not matter how great the cost, or who must pay it?" Merlin asked, doubtful of Uther's resolve.

Uther said nothing. They stared at each other for a moment, before Merlin turned his attention back to his book. They were silent as he read another four pages.

"Nimueh's coming back," he stated conversationally.

"How could you know that?!" Uther demanded, suddenly feeling very afraid.

"I saw her as I was coming back here. She's making her way to Camelot, again. And, although I can't see her very well from here," Merlin craned his head back to look through the wall. "I'm pretty sure that she's picked up her pace. If I'm not mistaken, she'll be here by the time you execute me tomorrow."

Uther stared at him, his eyes wide in shock and his mouth open slightly. Merlin didn't look bothered by the fact, which was unnerving for Uther. But he reasoned that since Merlin was about to die, it did matter to the sorcerer, or warlock as his son called him.

"She's waiting for you to die," Uther guessed. "And then she will let loose her sorcery on Camelot."

"It's pretty pointless to attack before I'm dead," Merlin agreed. "I'd fight her again."

"Would you win?" Uther asked, doubtful of Merlin.

"I'd try," Merlin retorted, not caring that he was addressing the king.

Uther sighed and chewed his lip thoughtfully. It was a rare moment indeed to find the king so uncertain of what he would do.

Merlin decided not to intrude on the man's decision making, and returned to his book. He flipped over the next two pages before stopping, his eye widened. He read the page over and over again, just to make sure that he understood it correctly. And what he understood was that he had a third option ahead of him, although it wasn't very likable, it was probably the best.

"Oh," he muttered interestedly.

"What?" Uther asked cautiously, unsure if he wanted to know what the warlock had found.

"I think I've found a way that works for both of us, Sire," Merlin stated. "That is, of course, if you're willing to here it."

* * *

Arthur's grip tightened and relaxed on his sword. His looked around warily. He was very much aware of how much of a shifty individual he seemed. He kept moving, trying to find the best way to get close. However he only met a wall of the crowd, eager to get a look at the sorcerer who had dared lurk in Camelot, and who had stayed there for the best part of seven months.

It was incredible for Arthur to think that he had only known Merlin for seven months. It felt like he'd known the warlock for a lifetime. The life before Merlin seemed like some half-remembered nightmare of feeling cold inside and being alone. The thought of losing Merlin, and of returning to that nightmare, was unbearable.

Morgana gently held Gwen by the shoulders, keeping her handmaiden on her feet, rather than a sobbing, crumpled mess on the floor. She knew that Gaius had expressed the opinion of not letting Gwen see Merlin's execution, but Morgana knew that if Gwen didn't see, she would delude herself into thinking he wasn't gone.

Gwen was absentmindedly toying with the rose. It was such a beautiful rose, so perfect, and it was meant for her. She stroked its velvety petals before stopping in shock. She stared down at the rose.

The tips of the petals were beginning to crisp, curling back like a normal rose. But Gwen knew that this was impossible for this rose. It was a magical rose. It could withstand being crumpled and thrown into a fire, it came out as perfect as it had done before. Surely it could live out of water, surely a creation of fire didn't need water to survive.

Uther stood on the royalty balcony. He was silent as Merlin walked into the courtyard, unlike the previous sorcery, Thomas James Collins, who was half dragged to the execution block. When Merlin stepped onto the raised platform, Uther began his speech.

"Let this serve as a lesson to all: this man, Merlin, has been judged guilty of conspiring to the use enchantments and magic. And pursuant to the laws of Camelot, I, Uther Pendragon, have decreed that such practises are banned, under penalty of death. I pride myself as a fair and just king, but for the crime of sorcery, there is but one sentence I can pass."

Uther nodded and the guards that had escorted Merlin out guided him to the block. Merlin knelt of his own accord and, rather than looking down at the block, he looked into the crowd. The executioner took his place to stand beside Merlin.

As Uther raised his arm the axman raised his axe above his head, waiting for the signal.

Merlin's eyes found Arthur, Morgana and Gwen in front of him. He saw Arthur lunge forward, trying to get through the crowd, trying to stop the execution. Morgana and Gwen were the epitome of despair as they both looked into his eyes, while he looked back. And then, he saw her.

Nimueh. She was right behind everyone, a short distance away, not that it really mattered if she was about to cast a spell. She could have stood anywhere, but she stood out to Merlin, blood red amongst a sea of gold and silver. He could also see her gloating to herself over her victory that was long in the coming.

Merlin turned his head to side, staring up at Uther for a moment, before lowering his head, and his gaze, to the wooden block.

Then, Uther dropped his arm, and the axe swept downwards.


	5. Paying the Price

Author's plea: Don't kill me or curse me! There's one more chapter to go!

Author's note: I'm actually impressed with myself. I thought this would be a short scene, but in truth it's quite a respectable length.

* * *

Arthur had forgotten his sword when he saw his father drop his arm. All he cared about was getting to Merlin, to push the idiot off the block, to shove the executioner's axe where the sun didn't shine, and to prevent this grave injustice. He knew inside that he couldn't do anything, that he wouldn't get there in time, but he ignored the fact. He had to try.

Merlin saw Arthur struggling to reach him. More importantly, he saw Nimueh with her arm outstretched as she began chanting a spell. He could see there her eyes were locked on Arthur's back. He had to move.

He pushed himself up. He saw the axe sweep past his face, the air whistled as it passed. There was an almighty clunk as the axe embedded itself in the wooden black.

As he stood, the colours of the world faded to leave him alone with the three colours of magic. He could see an ocean of gold and silver standing before him, all of it swirling in disbelief and fear. But, he could see three individuals that stunned, and yet overjoyed. Behind them, the blood red figure was pulsating hatred and rage. This figure let loose a ball of fiercely red magic: a powerful curse was headed straight to the light pattern that made up Arthur.

"Bwra aes amdana a achlesa 'm chynghreiriaid!" he shouted.

He saw a gold film sweep over the crowd, wrapping around each one individually and as a whole. The red ball flew past his first shield, decreasing in power before contacting the second shield around Arthur. The prince flinched, cowering at the shockwave and the thunderclap of the curse being dispelled.

The crowd screamed and fled the scene in mass hysteria. As they ran one way, Merlin advanced in the other. He ran past Arthur, still baffled by the sudden turn of events, and Morgana and Gwen, petrified by shock. In front of his friends, now the first line of both defence and attack.

"I thought you were destined for the axe, Merlin," Nimueh called, anger laced every word.

"I'm destined for a lot of things, Nimueh," Merlin replied, his voice calm. "But I won't be meeting the sisters of Avalon today."

"We'll see about that!" Nimueh shouted. "Alwa ar 'r awyra at nydd-dro a llunia at ffurfia chledd ata at arfer."

Suddenly, the air began to thicken into a smoke. The smoke began to twist into a ribbon shape. The ribbon-smoke snaked down to her outstretched palm, curling delicately around her hand. As she clenched her hand into a fist, the smoke solidified. A hilt formed in her grasp and the remaining smoke twisted and shaped itself to form a light sword. It looked delicate, but it had a deadly edge look to it.

Nimueh brought down the air sword to point it at Merlin. She waited for him to make his move.

Merlin only knew how to bend fire to his will, at least when it came to forming objects. And besides, the air was the most difficult element to control.

"MERLIN!"

Merlin turned round to see who had called him. He could see Gwen and Morgana watching him. He could see Arthur, running towards him. The prince unsheathed his sword and threw it to Merlin, blade pointing upwards so Merlin could catch the hilt.

Upon gaining hold of Arthur's sword, he turned around, just in time to block a head attack from Nimueh. He swiped Nimueh's sword away and she fell back in surprise. Her shock didn't last long as she drove at him again, while he defended himself and struck back. He had only ever been in a playful duel with Arthur, never once needing to worry about his life, for he knew that Arthur would only bruise him, not kill him. Now, Merlin was fighting, not only for his life, but for the lives of everyone in Camelot.

This was a fight he could not afford to lose.

All the while, Gwen stood there, watching Merlin fight with Arthur's sword. So engrossed in her love's battle, she did not notice the rose that she held so tightly in her hand wither. The petals faded in colour, turning back on themselves, crispy and brittle. The stem also lost its vibrancy, turning hard and gnarly in Gwen's hands.

Arthur stood beside Morgana and Gwen, having stopped running and knowing that he was of little use to Merlin. He had fought Merlin in playful duels, but that was nothing compared to how the warlock fought now. Arthur couldn't believe the aggression in his friend, but also noted the desperation in his stance. Merlin was trying to overpower Nimueh, and he was doing one heck of a job.

Nimueh was taken aback at her opponent's ferocity. He swiped, one-handed, at her stomach, forcing her to jump back, and he stepped forward. He swiped upwards, trying to knock her chin, again forcing her back, and pressing his advance. He swiped at her chest, and she took another step back, before he gripped the sword with both hands and he lunged at her, sword aiming at her stomach.

She knocked the sword away, to which he twisted and turned around her, forcing her to meet his blade as he came round for another flurry. She pushed him away momentarily with the quick utterance of a spell. Then, with him off-balance, she attacked.

Morgana flinched at the power behind each strike. The power at which the swords made contact with each other sent sparks flying into the air, briefly blinding her. The acrid scent of burning and metal filled her nose. The sounds of steel striking steel reverberated in her ears and in her head. The grunts and shouts and screams filled ever other moment, never giving her a moment of silence.

Nimueh swiped at Merlin's head, to which he ducked. He then swung his sword in an attempt to sever her feet from her legs. Nimueh jumped to avoid the blade, instinctively bringing in her arms, realising with joy that her own sword was aptly making its way to make contact with Merlin's head.

Arthur felt his stomach clench as he recognised the move. Two gasps beside him indicated that both Gwen and Morgana also remembered. He also remembered the next move.

Merlin did not fail to disappoint. He released Arthur's sword, closed his eyes and leant backwards, bringing his head back as far back as he could. He could feel Nimueh's blade pass over him. He saw the silver of the floor approaching him, and this time, he listened to the instinct. He brought his hands in front of him, feeling the cobblestones on his palms. He tensed his back, commanding his body to recoil and try to curl up. As he did, his legs began to move through the air. At the first point, he felt them make contact with soft tissue. As his legs continued in their momentum, they met a second, smaller, harder, object. He met no more resistance and soon found himself standing on his feet.

Arthur couldn't speak. He couldn't move. All he could do was goggle at the move he had just seen. Merlin had just back flipped, kicking Nimueh in the stomach and then proceeded to knock the sword out of her hands, earning a surprised and pained screech from the sorceress. He watched Nimueh fall back and collapse to the floor. He watched now, as Merlin turned his attention to the sword that was still spinning in the air.

"Archa 'ch at ddychwelyd at 'r egwyddorion a ffurfiedig 'ch!" Merlin shouted.

The sword shook before exploding into smoke and dissipating as if on the wind. With that problem gone, Merlin turned his attention to the downed Nimueh.

"Promise to leave, Nimueh. Promise to leave and never return. Never cause trouble for Camelot, or Albion, or Uther, or Arthur, or me ever again. Promise, and I will let you leave," Merlin bargained, although he knew the response.

Nimueh propped herself onto one of her elbows. She then, slowly, stood up. She turned to Merlin, a look of pure disgust on her face.

In contempt, she spat.

Merlin shook his head. He was disappointed, but he was not surprised. He knew that Nimueh had no love for anything that resided in Albion, and he knew that she would rather die than promise to leave it alone. But, he had to give her the option.

"Why do you hate Camelot so much? I know that Uther hates magic, and will destroy it first chance he gets, but he has a good reason. What's yours?" Merlin asked, trying to delay the inevitable.

"You would never understand," Nimueh hissed.

"Try me," Merlin challenged.

"You would never understand," Nimueh repeated.

Merlin sighed. He knew that he could not put the moment off any more. He inhaled deeply, and began.

"Alwa ar 'r briddo , 'r ddyfrha , 'r danio a 'r awyra. Alwa ar 'r egwyddorion!" He called out, ignoring Nimueh's shocked face.

"What are you doing?!" she asked, panic in her voice, and the panic rose as he ignored her.

"Archa 'r briddo at gwasg , 'r ddyfrha at bawdd , 'r danio at brydia a 'r awyra at fyga!" he continued.

"Stop!" she screeched, terror mounting in her voice, raising her pitch several octaves. "Don't you know what you're doing?! STOP!"

"Archa 'r egwyddorion chymer 'r allu a has na dde at bod. Dreisio 'r allu at bod cerddedig!" Merlin commanded, the spell complete, a solitary tear ran down his face.

Arthur held his breath, waiting for whatever effect that the spell was going to have. He waited, and he waited. He slowly exhaled, his eyes never leaving the pair in front of him. Something wasn't right, he knew that much. A shriek from Nimueh instantly brought his attention.

The sorceress was clutching at her throat. She then flapped her hands about her, desperately. She doubled over and as she heaved in her chest, Arthur realised that she was unable to breathe, only exhaling the air, not inhaling. As he realised this, Arthur noticed that Merlin was also clutching his throat, desperately trying to breathe.

Gwen yelped in surprise as the wilted rose in her hands suddenly burst into flames. She unclenched her hands, stepping back to avoid getting burnt. Morgana and Arthur also stepped back, all three of them bringing up small clouds of dust.

The tiny flame left them and flew over to Nimueh and Merlin. It split into two parts. One surrounded Merlin while the other surrounded Nimueh. The pair both gasped as they began to breathe again, at which point, the fire attacked them.

Their cries of pain and terror would have made anyone cover their ears. But, Arthur, Morgana and Gwen were too horrified to move, petrified by the sights and sounds that they saw and heard. In all the shock of the moment, one tear fell from Morgana's eyes.

She cried out in surprise as that tear was lifted off her face. The teardrop raced to the burning pair, just like the flame had done before it. The teardrop expanded in size and, like the flame, split in two and surrounded the magical pair.

As the fires died out, the water took their place as torturers. Both Nimueh and Merlin thrashed in the water that surrounded them, drowning them. The look of pure terror and pain was on both their faces.

Then the dust that Arthur, Morgana and Gwen had kicked up earlier began to band together. It also made its way to the drowning pair, by which time, Arthur had regained his wits.

"NO!" he yelled, chasing the dust. "Stop! Stay away from them! Stay away from Merlin!" he hastily corrected himself as he futilely tried to catch the dust.

It was then that he ran into a barrier. He watched, helplessly, as the dust disbanded the water, and it began a torture of its own.

Merlin didn't know how much more he could stand. Death seemed so much better than this. If the physical assault on him hadn't been bad enough, there was something else… something much deeper was also under attack. As he had thrashed about, trying desperately to find air, to extinguish the flames, to escape the water, he had felt something deep within him hurt. Inside him was the sense that something was being ripped, being pulled from him, leaving it floating painfully inside him.

And then the earth came.

It felt to Merlin like he was being crushed, his body battered. This earth was smothering him, giving him final torture before the end. And then, the end came.

He had sensed before that something inside him was being ripped, being pulled out of its security in him. Now he could feel a tearing. Something was tearing within him. Whatever it was, not only was it tearing, it was being torn out of him.

Oblivious to everything but the acute pain, Merlin fell to his knees and screamed. He clenched his fists to the point where his knuckles turned white and blood seeped out of tiny cuts caused by his nails.

Arthur stood and watched. He saw his friend fall to the floor, screaming. He watched the dust clouds around both Merlin and Nimueh change slightly.

The dust would swirl close to the pair before swirling outwards again. Every time the dust was close, they changed colour slightly. Soon, the dust was no longer an earthly brown colour, but was a bright gold or red. Around Merlin, the dust had turned gold, and around Nimueh, the dust had turned red. It was almost glowing.

Then the dust disbanded, rising into the sky before scattering in wind.

Nimueh stared shocked at Merlin. She turned her attention to Arthur and desperately looked around. When she saw a nearby exit, she hitched up her dress and ran as fast as she could. She never looked back.

Arthur watched her depart in total confusion for a moment, before he turned his sights to Merlin. He felt his stomach clench as he saw Merlin lying on his side on the cobblestones. He started to tremble as he realised that Merlin wasn't moving.

Desperate to know that his friend was alright, Arthur ran to Merlin. He ignored the sharp pain as his knees made contact with the cobblestones. He knelt by Merlin's back and fearfully looked over his friend, and sighed in relief, but his relief was short lived.

Merlin was still alive. His breathing was quick and shallow, and it sounded like breathing was painful for him. His whole body was trembling, but his arms and hands were shaking uncontrollably. His eyes were scrunched shut, and the muscles around his eyes were twitching, either trying to open his eyes unsuccessfully, or successfully keeping them closed.

"Merlin," Arthur called his friend gently, laying a hand on the available shoulder.

Merlin gasped and his eyes flew open. He stared forward for a second before twitchily turning his head in Arthur's direction.

"A- A- Arthur?" Merlin gasped, struggling for breath.

Arthur rose to his feet and hopped over Merlin, kneeling in front of him. He gently cupped Merlin where his neck met his shoulder and carefully pulled. Merlin reacted to Arthur's unspoken desire and used his free hand to push himself slightly. As Merlin's other shoulder left the ground, Arthur shifted the position of his hand to hold Merlin's shoulder. Between the two, they repositioned Merlin to a kneeling posture. Relocating his hand for a second time, Arthur held onto both of Merlin's shoulders and pushed him back so the warlock kneeled with a straight back.

Ignoring the trembling beneath his hands and the desire to remove his hands, Arthur looked into Merlin's eyes. He almost cried out in shock.

Merlin's eyes, though as blue as they always had been, looked dead. Merlin could still see; that much was obvious. But, something was dead, something was missing. Something was wrong in the young warlock.

"Merlin?" Arthur asked, tentatively.

Merlin blinked and raised his eyes to Arthur; he had previously been just staring blankly. As he looked at the prince's worried expression, tears began to fall down his face. His arms subconsciously wrapped themselves tightly around his chest.

"It's gone, Arthur," he whispered quietly, his breathing back to normal. "It's all gone."

Merlin had spoken so quietly, so softly, that Arthur wasn't sure if he'd heard him right. But whatever had happened, it was chilling Arthur to the core.

"It's gone from Nimueh, too," Merlin continued quietly, not noticing his friend's terrified expression. "We don't have it anymore."

In Arthur's mind, the metaphoric penny dropped. He felt as cold as stone as he realised what the spell had done. The thought of something so intimate, so vulgar… it made his stomach churn.

"Why don't I have it anymore?" Merlin asked to himself. "Where's it?"

"It's gone, Merlin," Arthur explained, feeling like a parent having to tell their child, in a calm voice, that the other had died. "It's been scattered into the winds," he continued, trying very hard not to break down as he knew he was going to.

"Is it coming back?" Merlin looked at Arthur with hope and desperation on his face.

"I–" Arthur cleared his throat as his voice broke suddenly, breathing a deep calming breath. "I don't know," he admitted.

Merlin looked down. He stared at the floor for a moment before scrunching his eyes up in pain.

"It hurts," he whispered.

His shoulders began to shake as the shock began to finally seep in. Merlin's breathing laboured. He pushed against Arthur's hands as he tried to curl up into a ball. His arms wrapped around his chest tighter, his hand gripping his body and his fingers dug in between his ribs.

Arthur leaned forward so that Merlin's head rested into his shoulder. He moved his hands to comfortingly hold him across his shoulders and the back of his head. With Merlin unable to see now, Arthur let his tears fall.

"Let it out, Merlin," Arthur commanded gently in a whispering voice by Merlin's ear. "Let it out."

Merlin breathed in before letting loose a cry that Arthur had never heard before. It was a cry, a scream that everyone had inside them, but seldom used, for the need was never there. This was a cry that would bring the strongest man to his knees if he heard it. The scream lasted for all but ten seconds, but it seemed more like a lifetime.

Arthur closed his eyes and buried his face into his friend's shoulder, unable to face looking at the world that seemed too harsh, too cruel. He couldn't stand to look into the terrified faces of Morgana and Gwen as they approached. He couldn't bear to see Gaius' heartbroken expression, or his father.

Uther hadn't forgotten Nimueh's departure and had already demanded that some of the guards chase her. But he felt that the event that really demanded his presence was the one he was approaching now.

He had watched Merlin's battle with Nimueh and had witnessed the spell. He had seen how Arthur had raced to the warlock, had helped him rise from the ground. Uther had heard the scream, which he had only ever heard once before.

He slowed as he drew near to the pair, Gaius, Morgana and her handmaiden had long since stopped. He continued to walk towards Arthur and Merlin until his son raised his head. The wild, fierce glare from his son forced him to stop, mortified at the hatred he saw in those stone grey eyes.

For a moment of silence, they stared at each other.

"See what you've done?!" Arthur demanded, his voice quiet and strained. "Is this punishment enough for you?!"

Uther didn't speak. He didn't know what he could have said, knowing that any excuse would have been instantly seen through. He could think of no pretence that would hide his shame from Arthur's piercing, accusing eyes.

"He chose this," Uther stated, sad at having to sound so callous.

With nothing else to say, Uther turned and walked back to the castle. He did not look at Gaius, Morgana or her handmaiden. He did not pay attention to their frenzied footsteps as they joined Arthur and Merlin's side.

"Arthur, what's happened?" Morgana asked fearfully.

"Is Merlin…" Gwen trailed off, her hand over her mouth as she tried to stop herself from crying.

"He's…" Arthur inhaled, his breathing catching in his throat. "He's…"

"He cast an enchantment that was extremely powerful," Gaius explained, sombrely, tears running silently down his face. "It is a spell that could kill more sorcerers and sorceresses than any arrow or blade could ever dream of."

"What did it do?" Morgana asked in a whisper, unsure if she wanted to know.

"It strips them of their power," Arthur spoke before Gaius could call up enough strength. "Merlin… and Nimueh as well…" Arthur shook his head and buried his face in Merlin's shoulder again.

"That spell…" Gaius summed up. "It strips them of magic."


	6. Healing all Wounds

Author's note: Sorry for this taking so long. College has been hectic, I've been suffering writer's block, I got a new laptop, I passed my driving test, and I got the news that my brother's getting married, and he and his fiancee are expecting another little one. My life has seemed very 90mph, but now it's almost Christmas and I'm finally slowing down. Enjoy!

* * *

Merlin stared blankly at the fire in Gaius' study. He was not aware of the blanket that had been draped around his shoulders in a vain attempt to warm him up. He was not aware of Gwen holding him by the shoulders, gently, soothingly rubbing the tops of his arms, her expression grave.

Morgana sat at the table, crushing up jasmine with a pestle and mortar, as Gaius had instructed her to. As she worked, if only to keep the room from being deathly silent, she hummed a quiet tune, sad and sorrowful, despite her best efforts to keep it upbeat. She would stop every now and then to wipe away the tears that fell down her face, sniffing as she did so.

Gaius was tending over a glass bottle that was heating slowly, a small fire below it. In the bottle was a clear, buttercup yellow liquid. The liquid made the room smell of rosemary, charcoal and apples.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Arthur walked in. He was carrying firewood under one arm and held a bucket of water under the other. The pageboy, Andrew, followed him in silently, two blankets in his arms.

Gwen relieved the boy of his load and, after a quick acknowledgment to all in the room, Andrew scurried out, closing the door behind him. Gwen then wrapped Merlin in the other two blankets, to which he did not even move in response to either her touch or the extra weight.

"Is this really going to work, Gaius?" Arthur murmured to the physician quietly, as he lowered the water bucket to the floor.

"I don't know," Gaius replied truthfully. "But there is nothing else I can think of doing."

Arthur said nothing, but instead moved to the fire and dropped a couple of pieces of firewood into the hearth. He turned his head to look at Merlin, but saw nothing that reminded him of his friend. There was no warmth, no ridiculous smile that was almost always plastered on the young man's face, no spark in the eyes that made no demands on him… there was nothing.

Unable to look at the blank expression anymore, Arthur moved away. He could not believe how Gwen was able to stand being there, so close to him, knowing that nothing she did made a difference. Of course, he was not so heartless that he was about to tell her.

"Will he ever come round, Gaius?" Morgana asked, fearful of the answer. "He doesn't look like he'll ever stop just staring at the fire."

Arthur comfortingly laid a hand on Morgana's shoulder, massaging it gently in a vain attempt to soothe her tensions. She lifted a hand to cover his own, grateful for the effort.

"Merlin has been able to use magic since before he can remember," Gaius shrugged sadly. "This is something completely new to him, and it came about in such a horrid way."

"What I don't understand is…" Arthur began, suddenly remembering. "How is it that Nimueh managed to run? Why didn't she collapse like Merlin did?"

"There isn't one corner of Camelot in which Nimueh is safe. It was purely her survival instinct that made her run. She has fled to some kind of sanctuary and has probably collapsed to the same state as Merlin," Gaius hypothesised.

Gwen was watching the three of them, listening to what they were saying. Her head snapped towards the door as she heard it surreptitiously open. She unintentionally stiffened as she saw the king enter.

Uther was well aware that he was currently unwelcome in Gaius' study. Four pairs of unfriendly eyes told him as much. But, he had met more eyes than these in his lifetime. Admittedly, those eyes were not usually belonging to three people he trusted highly.

Feeling slightly daunted, but unfazed, he walked into the centre of the room. He looked at each person in turn, his eyes resting on Merlin and Arthur for the longest periods of time. Then from under his cloak, he handed Gaius an old, worn, leather bound book.

"I hope this could come in usefulness," Uther explained, his expression showing genuine guilt and hope.

Gaius looked over the book and froze. He stared up the king before opening the book in his hands. At this point, Arthur recognised the book as well.

"Merlin's spell book," he gasped. "I thought you destroyed it," he looked at his father with suspicious eyes.

"Merlin and I agreed that it would be burnt after he was executed. Since he is still here, the book is also here," Uther replied plainly, he turned to look at Merlin's still figure. "I never thought that there was anyone who was willing do what he did."

"Merlin is one of a kind," Gaius explained, pride and sadness embedded in his tone.

"Yes, he is," Uther agreed, turning back to Gaius. "Which is why I'm hoping you can undo the spell."

A shocked silence entered the room. Everyone was staring at the king with wide eyes. No one could believe what they'd just heard.

"As Gaius said, he is one of a kind. He has risked everything for Camelot, which is something I never expected from a sorcerer," Uther explained.

"Merlin is a warlock," Arthur reminded, his anger barely suppressed.

"Then he is the first warlock that I have ever met," Uther retorted, but his words pacified Arthur, slightly.

"What are you trying to say?" Morgana demanded.

Uther said nothing for a moment. He stared down at Morgana, before turning his sights to Arthur, then to Gaius, to Gwen, and finally resting on Merlin. After staring at the warlock for a moment, he scanned the room.

"Can any of you swear to me that he will only do what is best for Camelot? Can any of you swear that he will only use magic in the aid of Camelot?" Uther asked as he scanned the room, daring someone to answer.

"Yes sire," Gaius confirmed. "Merlin will do nothing to jeopardise Camelot."

"He protects people, not attack them," Morgana added, drawing strength for her argument from what she had seen of his character.

"He's honest, true to his word, to every promise," Gwen included; defending Merlin gave the handmaiden the courage to speak up to the king.

"He is no enemy of Camelot," Arthur finished, staring down his father with his resolve. "He is an ally, and my friend."

Uther stiffened slightly, surprised that everyone had some type of defence for Merlin. More than that, he was shocked to hear Arthur call someone his friend. And, he was very much aware of how well the people in the room knew the warlock. With them all coming up with a defence, he could not find a weak spot to exploit… and found that he didn't want to find one either.

"Then his actions lie on your shoulders," Uther warned them.

With nothing else to say or do, Uther turned round and walked out. He was well aware that he had left four very stunned individuals behind him.

After Uther had left, closing the door behind him, his son turned to the physician.

"What does he mean that he was hoping that you could undo the spell?" Arthur frowned.

"Court physician was not my only profession," Gaius answered.

Arthur's eyes grew wide in surprise, but Gaius ignored him. He laid the book flat on the table. He scrutinised each page he looked at, his body language screaming desperation. He vaguely noticed a youthful hand leaning on the table as its owner leaned over his shoulder, trying to watch.

"What are you doing?" Arthur asked.

"I'm trying to find the spell that Merlin cast. If I can do that, then I can look for an enchantment to counteract it," the physician replied.

"Err, wouldn't Merlin know?" Morgana asked, shifting slightly as she realised how stupid she had sounded.

"Yes, Merlin would know," Gaius responded before Arthur had the chance to comment. "However, I don't think Merlin is quite there anymore."

"What do you mean?" Gwen asked, her voice quavering.

Gaius sighed and straightened up. He looked over the three youths. As he looked at them, he deliberated on how to properly explain the situation.

"Magic is a part of Merlin," Gaius clarified. "It is, or was in his blood, in every fibre of his body, even in his very essence. And the spell stripped that away. Merlin isn't just in shock from losing a gift he possessed… he's in shock from being torn apart, down to his very core."

Arthur suddenly noticed his hand had unconsciously lain itself across his chest. He knew what it meant to be torn apart, but his experience was nothing compared to Merlin's. It had taken a lot of time and effort for him to get some information about what had happened to him. Merlin was fitting the description, and then some.

Then, a memory struck. Morgana had told him that when Merlin had brought his soul, his essence back, he responded to the warlock, but no one else.

He looked to Merlin thoughtfully, wondering.

"Can I have that book Gaius?" Arthur asked, holding out his hand.

Gaius looked at him doubtfully, but handed him the book regardless. Arthur walked towards the pair by the fire, motioned Gwen away and he knelt before Merlin.

"Merlin, look at me," he commanded gently. "Look at me," he repeated, with more force when the warlock didn't move.

With faint twitches of his head, Merlin slowly turned to look at Arthur. He seemed to be struggling to keep his head in that position.

"Show me what spell you used," Arthur instructed. "Look in the book and show me."

He placed the book on Merlin's lap, and waited. He saw Merlin lower his head, but felt dismay as he realised that the warlock wasn't making any move to look through it. He decided to go for plan B.

"Do you remember telling me that it was gone? That it hurt for it to be gone?" Arthur asked, suppressing a faint smile that wanted to wipe itself onto his face as Merlin nodded. "We could get it back, but we need to know what spell you used. Show me the spell and we'll try to get it back," he promised.

Merlin looked at him. There was a mixture of hope and confusion on the warlock's face. He knew that he was hopeful, but couldn't place the reason. But, he decided to focus, and give the prince what he wanted.

Turning back to the book, he slowly reached out and touched it. It sent shivers up his arm as it felt familiar beneath his palm, but couldn't understand why. Ignoring the fact, he opened the book. His eyes rested on each page for a second, before moving to the next, discarding each page when they did not show what he wanted. Then, he found it.

Merlin slowly moved his hand out and laid a finger on the page, pointing to the spell.

Arthur looked down at the spell. It didn't look that special to him, but it did look long. He flashed a glance up at Merlin, who hadn't moved his eyes since he found the spell, before moving his hands to join his friend's on the page. He laid his fingers over the spell and slid the book off the warlock's lap.

Righting the book, Arthur strode over to Gaius and showed him the spell. He was aware of how still the physician went.

"Gaius?" he asked warily.

"No wonder this happened…" Gaius stated sadly.

"What?" Morgana piped from her seat.

"This is an extremely powerful spell. Merlin should never have thought to try and attempt this," Gaius shook his head.

"Why what's wrong?" Gwen asked, fearfully.

"Was the spell too powerful?" Arthur asked.

"In a sense, yes," Gaius nodded reluctantly. "Any magic user is not powerful because they know powerful spells. They are powerful because of the control they have over the spells that they know. Usually a person cannot cast a spell that they do not have enough control for."

"What does that mean, Gaius?" Morgana insisted.

"It means that, in desperation, Merlin used a spell that he was not ready to use," Gaius explained. "Magic is by no means a tame thing. If a sorcerer or warlock casts a spell that they do not have complete control of, the magic may very well turn on them. And, as we can see, it is that what has happened to Merlin."

"You mean…" Arthur turned to look at the still figure of Merlin. "He wasn't powerful enough to control the spell?"

"No, not so sire," Gaius negated. "Magic is purely a skill of the mind. Merlin has not yet learnt the finer points of magic, such as resolve to not be affected by the more powerful spells that he casts."

"But given the position he was in, I doubt he had much of a choice," Morgana noted thoughtfully. "If he hadn't cast the spell, then he would never have left the executioner's block."

Everyone was silent for a time after Morgana had said that.

"Can you counteract it? Arthur asked, returning his attention to the physician.

"Now that I know the spell he used, I believe so. But we will have to return to where the spell was cast; it's too cramped in here," Gaius explained.

Arthur stepped back from Merlin as he now stood in the courtyard. He joined Morgana and Gwen as Gaius had instructed. And now, the trio waited for Gaius to cast the spell that would bring back the young man that they all knew.

Gaius was studiously looking over the book. Finally, he looked up and faced Merlin.

"Alwa ar 'r egwyddorion at adfer beth chymeran." Gaius stated, carefully pronouncing every word.

Then, the air suddenly began to fill with dust. The disturbance swirled around Merlin, who only seemed mildly interested in the event. The fine powder wove in and around itself, dancing conically about Merlin's still figure. As the dust spun about the warlock, it sent his clothes gently flapping, as if swaying in a slight breeze.

Then water came to replace the earth and it too swirled around a disinterested Merlin. But the soil came rushing to Arthur, Morgana and Gwen, before settling around their feet.

The water rushed around Merlin like a ribbon caught in the wind. It melded itself to the contours of the warlock's face, covering his face. There was nothing happening for a moment, and then Merlin started coughing, choking, suffocating. The water then spun around his head, distorting the vision of Merlin's head.

Then the water disbanded from Merlin, replaced by flames. The water condensed and flew silently towards the trio, just as the dust had done. However, the water landed on Morgana's face and ran down her face like a teardrop. Just like the teardrop that had been lifted from Morgana's face when the original spell had been cast.

The flames did not spin and swirl around Merlin like the dust and water had done, but instead surrounded him in a circle, the ground completely engulfed in the fire. The flames licked up the warlock's body, reaching high into the sky. The heat from the pyre was so intense that it took Arthur aback. But, there was one thing that he had noticed, and which brought his heart rate up.

Merlin was standing in the centre of the fire, but unlike the previous two elements, Merlin was moving. He had raised his arms to his face protectively. Also, Merlin's face was contorted in confusion and fear, his eyes squinted in the blazing brightness of the fire. However, Arthur noticed that the warlock did not appear to be in pain.

Then, fire came rushing in their direction, or, more precisely, Gwen's. The fire snaked around her clenched hands, twisting and turning as the handmaiden froze in shock. The fire spat and changed colour, some deepening to a blood red, whilst the rest turning a sickly green. Finally, the shifting flames stopped, as if frozen in time. There, in the place of the flames, was a beautiful rose, one that had only been seen once before. The one Merlin had created for Gwen not more than two days ago.

Arthur stared at the rose in awe for a moment, before returning his gaze to Merlin. At that moment, the pair made eye contact. As Arthur stared into Merlin's eyes, he could see the disorientation in the younger man, and the fearless surety from just looking at the prince: the surety that whatever was happening, he was safe.

Finally, the last element came to envelop Merlin. His clothes began to flap furiously as the wind picked up and whirled about him. He was standing in the eye of a small tornado. Every so often, a stray wind would wrap around him before joining the rest of the fury. It took a moment for onlookers to notice something different about the stray winds.

They were faintly glowing a gentle gold and silver. As each breeze brushed against Merlin, they lost the glow and returned to the torrent. And as each tiny glow brushed onto Merlin's body, they would glow more intensely before winking out. But as each light went out, Merlin began to glow slightly brighter as each second passed. His azure eyes began to shine golden, showing the magic that once again imbued him.

Then the wind dropped, and Merlin followed, falling to his knees.

But Arthur had very little time to react or think, as a burst of air forced its way past his lips and down into his lungs. It gave him the peculiar sense of trying to restore a drowned man's life by forcing air into the man's lungs. Just like a drowned man, Arthur gagged and started coughing furiously, the intensity of his coughing brought tears to the prince's eyes.

Then, a hand gently clasped Arthur's shoulder. That hand was too large to be either Morgana's or Gwen's, and it was too smooth to belong to Gaius. Arthur struggled to fight down the coughing fit, but straightened up to find himself staring into the azure blue eyes of a very concerned friend. Those eyes made no demands of him, merely the warmth of friendship gazed out from those eyes.

"Merlin!" Arthur gasped, his voice cracked from coughing.

The warlock smiled his usual, warm and slightly silly smile. The smile reached all the way to the man's eyes. Gratitude was plainly written over his face.

Arthur stared in wonder at Merlin for a moment, before drawing the man in for an embrace. Arthur felt his heart leap up his throat as he felt Merlin's arms almost trying to crush him as the warlock returned the gesture.

"Welcome back, Merlin," he whispered into his friend's ear.

"Thanks for bringing me back," Merlin whispered back.

As they drew apart, Merlin felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he found the hand belonged to Morgana, her face was blotchy from tears. She was smiling, relief was plain in her eyes. And, guessing what she wanted, Merlin turned to her and they also embraced, both glad of the outcome of the spell. Morgana was shaking slightly as she struggled to keep her composure and not cry or scream in pure joy.

Finally, Merlin managed, with Arthur's help, to dislodge himself from Morgana's grip. A slight movement behind Morgana instantly caught Merlin's attention. He found himself staring at a practically motionless Gwen. Morgana quickly looked behind her to her handmaiden, then beck to Merlin. She smiled slyly and stepped out of the way.

Merlin took two steps to Gwen before stopping. They just stood there, looking at each other. Neither of them moved, and no one said anything. Merlin and Gwen were merely smiling at each other.

Then, Gwen stepped forward, her arms flung out. Merlin opened his arms and caught her. Gwen clung to Merlin like her life depended on it, her face buried into the shirt. Tears were silently falling down her face, staining Merlin's shirt. Merlin held onto Gwen with equal dependency, one arm reaching across her slender shoulders, whilst his other hand tenderly held the back of her head. His face was resting on the top of her head, breathing in the faint flowery fragrance of her hair.

"I thought I'd lost you," Gwen whispered to him finally.

"Sorry," Merlin apologised.

Gwen raised her head to gaze into his azure eyes, and he gazed back at her. She could see him not really looking at her, more like looking into her, like he had done before. With the way his eyes were dancing slightly, she guessed that he was trying to follow the movement of light inside her.

She smiled, glad that the Merlin she knew was back. Then, Merlin's hands lid down from the back of her head and up from her shoulder, cupping the sides of her face.

Arthur rubbed his chin and turned away, giving his friend the respect of not standing and ogling at him. But he couldn't hide the smirk on his face as he realised how to tease Merlin for the next week.

Morgana just stood and smiled. She was pleased that the pair had finally sorted out their relationship.

As Merlin pulled away from Gwen, she opened her eyes to look at him, and her breath caught.

In front of her was a mass of swirling lights of gold and silver. But beneath the lights, she could clearly see the man she loved. She turned her head to stare out into a silver courtyard, where people, made of swirling silver and gold lights, went about their daily lives. She turned back to stare incredulously at Merlin.

"It's beautiful," she gasped. "Everything is so beautiful."

"I know," Merlin replied, smiling at her. "I know."

* * *

End Note: I left the kiss out for you to use your imagination.^_^


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